Cold Case
by Sarah Everton
Summary: (Sequel to 'Off Trail') - As Alex and Maggie struggle to recover from the attack, Maggie gets asked to help on a cold murder case on her first day back at work. When the case gets reopened, the tensions between her and Alex run high.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a continuation fic of 'Off Trail'. It's not exactly a sequel, but it does handle most of the themes involved in that story, so I highly suggest reading it before you start this one.**

 **Enjoy the read!**

* * *

It took Maggie Sawyer three weeks to get back to work at the precinct after the invasion.

Mostly because the building itself had been horribly damaged by the Daxamite soldiers. Her colleagues had been forced to relocate to other stations for the time being, until the building was renovated.

But the main reason why it took Maggie nearly a month to get back to work, was because she was terrified.

Terrified of ever leaving Alex alone again.

The first days after being discharged from the DEO med bay, with strict orders for both herself and Alex to get as much rest as possible, had been relatively okay.

With Kara stopping by every five seconds to check if they needed anything, it was easy for Maggie to hold on to Alex, as the biggest part of their days was spent sleeping in Alex's way too large bed, spooning.

She fought hard to stay awake, because she knew that once she closed her eyes, the nightmarish scenes of losing Alex at the hands of that _fucking_ alien and Finley's burnt and lifeless body would come haunt her. It was exhausting, but she knew that she had to take care of Alex, so she couldn't be weak. She couldn't be screaming or crying, that wasn't what Alex needed.

But after a few days of barely getting any sleep, the dark circles under her eyes and her weakened, frail state hadn't been lost on either Danvers sister.

It was Kara that asked about it first, when Alex was sleeping and Maggie was up, trying to pour herself a drink without waking her. Kara had flown in through the window to check on them, almost startling Maggie enough to drop the glass on the floor.

"Mags, you look…" Kara had cut herself off trying to find the right words. But they hadn't come to her, as Maggie put on a weak smile and pretended that everything was fine.

"It's alright, Kara. Must be my pain meds wearing off."

The blonde hadn't seemed completely convinced but she'd let it go at least, looking conflicted as she watched Maggie down the glass of whiskey.

Alex had noticed it too after a few days, when she was finally well enough to stand up and 'walk' around by herself, with a crutch. Maggie had been there the whole time, holding her up and making sure that she was still okay. But the agent saw how Maggie was always up before her, and only went to sleep after she was sure that Alex was comfortable.

And when Alex woke up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying for Maggie, for _anyone_ to come save them, Maggie was awake, whispering in her ear and holding her.

She didn't even know if Maggie was sleeping at all.

So when they were finally alone, eight days after they were discharged and they were curled up on the couch watching some movie she'd picked, Alex took a deep breath.

"Mags?"

"Mmhm." The detective replied weakly from her spot on Alex's chest.

The agent started playing with her fiancées curls absent-mindedly as she frowned and paused the movie. "Are you sleeping?"

"I'm talking to you?" Maggie laughed weakly. But Alex recognized how hollow it sounded.

"No, I mean like… In general."

Maggie went quiet after that. She didn't want to lie to Alex, but she also didn't want to worry her.

She felt Alex wrap her arms around her a little tighter.

"I get it." Alex had whispered.

And that was all Maggie needed to burst out in tears, and whisper how scared she was of sleeping, that there'd be someone by their bedside to take Alex away from her, that she was still seeing Laurent and Finley and Alice every time she closed her eyes.

And Alex nodded and held her, and understood. Because Alex felt the same. But Alex knew that she needed to recover quickly and get as much rest as possible to get back to the DEO and back to work, even though that meant the horrible nightmares would come fast.

Though none of that mattered if Maggie wasn't okay. And Alex cursed herself for not seeing sooner that the detective was actually not alright at all.

So without any scolding or telling Maggie how ridiculous she was acting, she called up the therapist J'onn had obligated her to visit, and asked him if she could squeeze Maggie in with her.

The next morning during their breakfast, when she was confident that Maggie had at least had _some_ sleep, she told her about the appointment with Dr. Fisher, the resident psychologist at the DEO.

"I'm starting tonight, and I'm going to go every other day. I called him, he said it's fine if you come with me so we can go together, but if you prefer going alone, he can get you a separate appointment."

She hadn't expected Maggie to shake her head immediately. "No. No way."

Alex frowned, as she lowered her coffee cup. "What?"

"I don't _do_ shrinks, Alex."

The power in Maggie's voice confused Alex completely. It wasn't a casual conversation anymore; Maggie was actually offended and defensive.

"Why not? There's no shame in-…" Alex started, but Maggie put her cup down forcefully, causing some of the coffee to spill on the table. She jumped up. "I said I'm _not going_."

"Okay, okay!" Alex raised her hands quickly in surrender, completely baffled as to how her girlfriend had gone from sweet and caring to defensive and snappy in mere seconds.

Alex didn't understand. Of course, she herself had had trouble the first time J'onn had convinced her to walk into Dr. Fisher's office, after a particularly tough mission. It was hard to talk about her feelings, having been used to bottling them up for so long, to act strong in front of others, especially Kara.

She didn't go as often as she should, because she had other ways of coping – drinking was one of them. Her girlfriend was another. Coming home to Maggie giving her a massage and cuddling up to her on the couch sometimes was all she needed to forget about her day and feel loved and important.

But there were other days, when Maggie wasn't there, or the trauma was just too much. Then, she would spend hours sitting with him in his office, talking. Sometimes crying. Sometimes screaming.

But at the end of the day, she would thank him, walk out, and feel liberated. And she could go back to the DEO, to Kara, to Maggie, and compartmentalize her feelings until the next appointment.

So the fact that Maggie didn't want anything to do with it, came out of the blue. Alex had mentioned her therapy every now and then, and Maggie had sounded supportive, offering to give her a ride. But she'd never asked about them when Alex returned. The agent thought that the detective was giving her the space she needed – and maybe that wasn't untrue – but now, the possibility of Maggie genuinely not caring about it became very real.

"I'm going to work." Maggie grabbed her keys from the counter, and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Alex alone, hurt and very much confused.

* * *

She rode with her helmet visor down, so nobody could see the tears pricking in her eyes, as she made her way over to the police station. Not that anyone looked at her, or paid attention to her.

But as she parked and pulled her helmet off, Maggie's breath was shaky, and she had to take a minute to compose herself before heading inside.

She hadn't meant to lose her patience with Alex. But all of the terrified nervousness inside her had piled up, and finally poured out at hearing that Alex wanted her to have therapy.

The rational part of her knew that Alex just wanted to help.

But therapy – for her – was _never_ a solution. And of course Alex didn't know that. Nobody knew that, because she didn't make it other people's problem. But she was sure as hell _never_ going to sit through a therapy session again.

She made a note to call Alex during a break, and apologize. Maybe even head to her apartment. But right now, the only way to take her mind off everything that happened, was to kick some criminal's ass, bury herself in paperwork, and pray that the coffee machine at the precinct had been upgraded.

After greeting some of her colleagues, and sharing quick and shallow conversations with them – some of them had heard about what happened in Montana, others ignorantly patted her on the shoulder and arm as she tried not to flinch in pain – she headed to the elevator. As she found it to be deserted, she sighed in relief at her moment of peace and quiet before the long day ahead of her, nursing her sore shoulder.

She'd been lucky that they'd taken her to the DEO. With the advanced technology they possessed, it had been relatively easy to repair and replace the burnt skin. There were scars, of course. But at least she wouldn't have to live the rest of her life with blistered and dead skin.

According to the research on the Magh'rah, his acid was corrosive, but it shouldn't have any lasting damage or side effects to her skin. So except for some lingering pain every now and then, especially when she aggravated her shoulder and arm, she was going to be fine.

Her insecurities about the scars lingered in the back of her mind, but she also knew that if Alex loved her, she wouldn't care at all about them. Especially now that Alex's body had also changed completely.

The bioengineers at the DEO were miracle workers, though. And she was so incredibly proud that Alex was often one of them. Because one night, when Alex was sleeping, one of them had been at their door, talking to Maggie about possible prosthetics and what was possible for her.

Turns out, nearly everything was possible. And with Alex's consent, they were already making her a new bionic prosthetic, that would react to neurological impulses. Maggie didn't know exactly how it worked, but to her it was close to magic. Alex would be able to walk, train, and eventually get back in the field without any foreseeable issues.

But Alex hadn't talked about it with her. The only thing they did was hold each other, comfort each other, and small-talk. They avoided the topic of Montana completely, neither of them wanting to open up that can of worms unless the both of them were ready.

And Maggie hadn't been ready at all.

The elevator doors opened, leading to the second floor, where her desk was. She was ready to head into her Lieutenant's office to tell him she was coming back to work, when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder – fortunately, the left one.

As she spun around, she saw an old homicide detective, Ian Hayes. An old soul on the force, close to retirement. She'd always had a special bond with the man, ever since her first case in National City. She hadn't been paying attention, and when the perp had realized that, he'd taken a shot at her.

Hayes had pushed her away and taken the bullet right in the vest, earning him a broken rib. Maggie had never forgotten about the fact, and made sure that if Hayes ever needed something done, she'd do it.

"I heard about what happened." Hayes sighed. "I'm sure everybody's been asking if you're alright…"

Maggie smiled weakly. It was a subtle way of asking, without wanting to bother her. But she humored him anyway. "I'm alright. Nothing too bad."

"How's the girlfriend? She okay?"

Hayes had met Alex on one or two occasions, and had charmed her immediately. He'd 'approved' of Alex with a fatherly nudge and nod, and had been stoked to hear Maggie's anecdotes about her ever since. When Maggie had admitted that Alex had proposed, she'd sworn she'd seen tears in his eyes.

"It's gonna take some time." Maggie admitted. "Things are… weird."

"Listen, I get it if you have better things to do, but I was wondering if I could borrow you for a few minutes?"

"Of course. You could never bother me, Ian."

He smiled weakly as he lead her into an empty meeting room, closing the door behind them, and crossing his arms. "I… uh… Need your help."

Maggie had shared plenty of stumped cases with Ian, hoping to get a new outlook, so it wasn't that odd of a request. Not even something they couldn't discuss in the hallway. So she immediately suspected that there was more to it.

Hayes hesitated. "…It's about a case."

She nodded, waiting for him to elaborate. He took a deep breath, and laughed humorlessly. "I think I'm in trouble."

Maggie knew that most investigators and detectives had the _one case_ that kept them up at night. She personally hadn't encountered hers, or at least not one that hadn't been solved yet. But apparently – Ian had been working on something after hours, and had run into trouble.

"… Five years ago. Four women murdered with the same MO and left in dumpsters all over the city. Every Friday evening for four weeks straight. We anticipated the pattern, but we didn't have any suspects. The fifth Friday we expected another body, but there was nothing, and the murders haven't happened since."

"Okay…" Maggie crossed her arms and leaned on the wall. She was curious to hear how Ian would come back to such a case.

He grunted. "I was storing evidence three days ago when I saw that the box about the cold case was open. So I checked it out."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. Sometimes, when she herself was down in the storage room, she opened up boxes of cases she or her division had worked on, just to see if she could find something new or interesting about it that they hadn't seen or considered before. Nothing shameful about it.

Hayes reached into his pocket, and fished out a note, looking around nervously before putting it in front of her on the conference table. "I got this in my mailbox at home the day after."

Maggie shifted the note so that it was facing her. It was printed, so there was no tracing the handwriting, but the message was clear.

 _Ian Hayes,_

 _Retire from the force, or face the consequences._

Maggie chuckled, turning the note back to him. She was convinced that he was pulling a prank on her, and she almost fell for it.

But when she saw his serious expression, her smile faded. "Ian, you can't actually be serious. This is just a printed piece of paper, _I_ could make that in two seconds." The mere thought that the 65-year old detective was actually taking this lousy threat seriously was absolutely ridiculous.

"But it's _not_ just a piece of paper. It's the exact shape and font that the murderer of those women used for his notes to the police."

Maggie shook her head. "Ian, you're a brilliant detective and I _love_ working alongside you, but if you take this stupid thing as a credible threat, I think you should hand in your badge anyway."

Hayes looked more disappointed in her reaction than anything. "I worked this case, Maggie. I _swear_ to you that something's going on."

"Right." She took a deep breath, already feeling her headache return at the lack of painkillers that morning. "Well, I'm going to go to work. If you take that note to Lieutenant Cooper, I'm sure he'd love to hear all about it."

Honestly, she hadn't even meant for it to sound mean. She was just annoyed at how paranoid the man seemed to have become. It was just a stupid piece of paper. And she had other things on her mind than going ghost-hunting with him to find whoever had pranked him anyway.

So with a last roll of her eyes, she left him behind in the meeting room, heading back towards her desk.

The rest of her workday was slow, as she'd expected. But the paperwork did help in feeling useful again. Three weeks of sitting around doing nothing had taken a toll on her. And as much as she dreaded being away from Alex for a full day for the first time, it actually felt good going back to work.

After saying goodbye to her colleagues in the bullpen, Maggie put on her jacket and drove to Alex's apartment, which she now called her home. She still had her own apartment, but since Alex's was closer to both the DEO and the police precinct, she favored it on weekdays.

Her own apartment was closer to the bar, which lead to Saturdays and Sundays of waking up in her own bed with a hangover, and a – most of the time naked – Alex sleeping next to her.

She unlocked the door with the key Alex had given her, and put her helmet and keys down on the counter as she closed it behind her.

Alex was sat at the table browsing through a case file, but looked up as she saw Maggie standing in the doorway. "Hey."

"Hi." Maggie walked over to her, and kissed her on the lips as a greeting.

"How was your day?"

The detective walked over to the fridge and opened it. "Pretty boring. Did you eat already?"

"I was thinking pizza."

Maggie fished out a beer, and closed the fridge door. "Pizza sounds nice."

As she took the first sip of the cold beer, she sighed. She knew that they had to talk about the fight, she hated that she'd made Alex feel like she had to apologize for looking out for her.

"How was your therapy?"

"Uh, yeah." Alex closed the file in front of her and cleared her throat. "It was alright."

"Do you… want to talk about it?"

"Do _you_?" Alex countered with a frown, turning her attention to Maggie fully. "I mean, I… I get it if you don't, but I was just worried."

"I know." Maggie looked down. "It's… My fault, Danvers. Not yours."

Alex looked unhappy with the answer, and Maggie realized she was going to have to give her more than that.

"… I had a bad experience with therapy. I don't trust therapists. And I'm sure yours is great and wonderful and all that, but I can't help it. I don't _do_ shrinks."

"Why didn't you say so? If I'd known, I would have never overstepped…"

"Yeah. Again, that's on me." Maggie put the beer down on the kitchen island. "I shouldn't have kept it from you, but I don't want to talk about it. And it doesn't matter. I'm fine."

The first lie of the evening. And it hadn't been lost on either of them. But Alex was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, if that's what Maggie needed.

"I'm sorry, Alex." The detective sighed. "I didn't mean to yell at you, you didn't know and you couldn't have. I shouldn't have snapped."

"Come here." Alex opened her arms, so that Maggie could come in for a hug, which she did. Alex rubbed her back, and whispered in her ear. "It's okay. No harm, no foul. Just… talk to me, okay? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Got it." Maggie whispered back, as she pulled away. "I'll order. The usual?"

It seemed like they were going to be okay. That relieved Maggie to no end, because she honestly _didn't_ want to talk about what she'd gone through. Alex had every right to demand to know the truth about it, but she didn't. And that just made her love her more.

After pizza, the both of them ended up in bed pretty quickly. Her first day back had taken a toll on Maggie, and she assumed the therapy session had wiped Alex out too. But as they were lying in bed, both not asleep just yet, Alex cleared the silence.

"I stopped by the DEO after my session. The prosthetic is almost finished."

"Really?" Maggie turned, so that she was on her side facing Alex. The agent did the same, and nodded. "Yeah. They said it should only take a couple of more days. Maybe I could get back to work next week."

"That's great, Al." Maggie beamed, as she leaned forward to wrap her arms around her and pull her closer.

The first time they'd laid down together, and she tried to pull into Alex, it had been weird not to feel two feet underneath her, though she'd never admit that to her. She didn't know if Alex was self-conscious about it.

She'd voiced her doubts in the med bay when they were still admitted, but hadn't talked about it since. Maggie assumed that the best way to handle it was to just act normal about it, and give Alex the space to talk about it, should she want to. Now, she was almost used to the stump below Alex's right knee.

"They said that field work would probably take a few more weeks, depending on how fast I adjust to it, but it shouldn't take more than a month." Alex sounded genuinely happy that she could return to her job soon.

"I love you, Alex." Maggie smiled, still feeling butterflies in her stomach at how gorgeous Alex was, lying in bed next to her.

"I love you too, Mags." Alex copied the content smile. "We really should get working on the wedding."

"Who cares." Maggie shook her head. "I don't need a big ceremony or a lot of fuss, Alex. I just want us to be happy. We could get married tomorrow."

"We could." Alex hummed. "… Though I doubt Kara would be happy to hear that she missed it."

Maggie laughed at the mental picture of Kara's face as the two of them told her that they couldn't wait for her to get hitched. She'd be heartbroken. And probably go on a potsticker bender.

She hadn't realized that she'd fallen asleep, until a rough banging on Alex's door made her eyes snap open. Instinctively, she reached for her gun on the nightstand, knocking over the lamp in the process and cursing loudly at the sound of it smashing into pieces on the floor.

"Mag- _shit_ …" She heard Alex curse next to her as she hissed in pain, covering her still aching chest from the pain of sitting up too fast. When the banging continued, Alex reached for her own still intact lamp, and clicked it on.

"What time is it…" Maggie whispered, as she saw Alex struggling to get up on one leg. She pushed her back onto the bed. "It's fine, I'll go."

She pulled the gun behind her back, and headed into the living room, switching the light on and looking through the spyhole.

There was a man standing outside in the hallway, looking grim, and wearing a badge identical to hers. She frowned, and pulled the door open.

She recognized him from the precinct. Michael Holmes, one of the detectives at Homicide that she'd worked with a few times.

"Sawyer." He greeted her.

"What's going on?" Maggie asked, narrowing her eyes. She heard the rustling of sheets coming from the bed, and knew that Alex was listening in.

Holmes flashed his badge. "Michael Holmes, NCPD homicide."

"I know who you are, Holmes." Maggie frowned. "Why the bit? What happened?"

Holmes cleared his throat, and took out his phone, showing Maggie a picture.

It was the dead body of a man, lying on top of a pile of trash in a dumpster.

Still wearing the clothes she'd seen him in earlier.

Her stomach dropped.

"Do you recognize this man, Sawyer?" Holmes asked.

Maggie tried to swallow the newly formed lump in her throat, as she nodded. "That's… That looks like Detective Ian Hayes."

"It is." Holmes nodded. "His body was found about an hour ago in a dumpster downtown. And this is what was next to him."

He swiped right for another picture. The alley. A note stuck to the side of the dumpster.

Unmistakably identical to the one Ian had showed her that morning.

 _Maggie Sawyer._

 _Retire from the force, or face the consequences._


	2. Chapter 2

As Maggie's eyes widened, a stumbling from the bed indicated that Alex had enough of waiting on the sideline and had struggled to walk up behind the pair with a concerned frown. "What's going on?"

Holmes ignored Alex completely, and turned to Maggie once again. "Sawyer, you need to come in."

"Are you going to arrest her?!" Alex scowled indignantly, but Maggie turned around and shook her head. "It's fine, Al. Let me handle this."

She turned back to the man in the doorway. "Give me two minutes to get dressed."

Holmes nodded, and turned around to wait in the hallway. As Maggie closed the door, she was met with a confused glare from Alex. "Maggie, what the hell is going on?"

The detective took a shaky breath, and looked down. "Just… Go back to sleep."

Alex wanted to walk up to her. She knew that something was bothering her, this wasn't just work, this was something else. There'd been a murder, but Maggie seemed to know the victim, from what she could interpret.

She cursed her injury for not being able to move properly, and decided to surrender and drop down onto one of the stools at the kitchen aisle, keeping an eye on her girlfriend, who was now walking towards the dresser to grab a set of clothes.

"Mags, talk to me." Alex pleaded once more, knowing that she was on thin ice. She knew Maggie. And if their spat at breakfast was any indication, Maggie was pissed and defensive.

And a murder would have probably made her mood even worse.

But instead of lashing out, Maggie turned around in the middle of buttoning up her shirt, and looked Alex in the eyes. "Promise me you'll stay here."

"Maggie, you're freaking me out." Alex admitted, seeing how pale the detective had become by talking to the detective in the hallway. Her girlfriend licked her lips nervously, and shook her head. "I don't know what's going on. But I'm going to go look into it."

"Hey…" Alex grabbed Maggie's arm when she passed her on her way to the gun safe in the cupboard. She looked her in the eyes, cupping her face in both arms. "Just… Tell me that you're safe."

Maggie's stomach dropped.

Because after all that happened, the last thing she wanted to do was worry Alex, and tell her that some serial killer was after her. Alex would straight up forbid her to go to the crime scene, or to even leave the apartment for that matter.

But Maggie couldn't stand around and do nothing. Ian Hayes, as proud as he'd served National City, deserved a proper burial. His wife and kids deserved to know who murdered him. And the force deserved to lock up the asshole that had murdered those women and now one of their own.

And Maggie wasn't going to stand on the sidelines. She was going to fight.

Because Ian had trusted her with his concerns, and she'd laughed at him.

And now, Ian was dead.

And she was probably next.

Returning the gesture, Maggie raised her arms to pull them around Alex's neck, looking her in the eyes. "Don't worry. Everything is okay. I'll text you and keep you posted, alright? Just… Go back to bed, you need to rest, this stress isn't good for you."

Alex chuckled weakly. "Your first day back and you're already off to save the city again."

"Yeah. What else is new, Danvers? It's what I'm good at." A lopsided smile, as she leaned forward to kiss Alex passionately.

"I love you." Alex said, as Maggie finally made her way to the gun safe to grab her holster. As she locked it again, she reciprocated. "I love you too, Alex."

"Be safe." Was the last thing Alex said, before Maggie disappeared into the hallway.

The nervousness gnawed at her, and she didn't know whether it was concern over Maggie's disheveled state, or the fact that for the first time in three weeks, she had to sleep in a bed without Maggie by her side.

She scolded herself for being ridiculous. She was a grown woman. A field agent. She could survive a night without needing someone next to her, she'd done it for years before she met Maggie.

Alex popped another painkiller, switched off the lights in the living room and flopped back down onto her bed, folding her arms underneath her head.

She'd willed herself not to think about anything that had happened at the cabin. Her session with Fisher had started off small, with how she'd felt _before_ the trip, how the flight had been. Everything that happened before their evening had gone horribly wrong.

But now, the images and flashbacks came fast.

And they quickly blended in with the thought of Maggie, all alone in National City, and that godforsaken alien coming back for round two.

* * *

Holmes didn't even wait until Maggie was two steps out the door before starting his explanation.

"Two girls on their way back from a party found his body in a dumpster in an alley off Rivera. The coroner should be on site right about now…" He sighed, trailing off. Maggie noticed his stoic expression cracking slightly.

Holmes was a good detective, from what she could tell from the few cases they'd joined forces. A bit of a rule enforcer, who disliked coloring outside the lines, but it did get him results. He was far from a bad cop.

"…Any idea on why your name might be on that crime scene, Sawyer?"

So he'd skipped the 'taking her to the precinct, sitting her down in an interrogation room and taking her statement' part of the evening. Good.

Maggie hated that part.

"I have a pretty good idea, yeah." She hummed, as they walked down the stairs of Alex's apartment building, and headed into the street.

Before she could get into what she recognized as his car, Holmes put his hand on the door, blocking her path. "Look, we both know what's going on here."

Maggie took a step back and crossed her arms.

"You're being threatened. Which means you had something to do with the murder. And I know that you're a good cop, Sawyer, but you _do_ tend to stick your nose into things that don't concern you."

Maggie had half a mind to be offended at the statement, but Holmes continued. "... You never worked this case, so it can't be because the guy knew that you were onto something. Unless you were."

The last part was more a question than anything. So this time, he did expect a response.

"I had nothing to do with it."

"Then why would they target you?" Holmes fired back.

"Look." Maggie stepped forward again. "Hayes came to me this morning. He said that he was worried. He had a note, the same that was stuck to that dumpster. Same lines. 'Retire or face the consequences'. He said nothing about any breakthroughs on the case, just that he'd been going through the evidence at storage."

Holmes seemed more frustrated than anything else about the lack of story. "So you have no idea why they'd murder him?"

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously not. If I would, I'd be sure to pass on the message. Now, are we going to the scene or are we going to stand around here talking all night?"

Holmes grunted. "Get in the car, Sawyer."

* * *

Crime scenes were nothing new for Maggie. She'd been to countless murder sites, aftermaths of attacks and invasions, and she'd seen firsthand how cruel both humans and aliens alike could be.

But somehow, this crime scene made her want to throw up.

Or maybe that was the concussion still lingering.

Either way, it was clear that something was off.

As she slipped under the yellow tape, guided through by flashing her badge and nodding at the officers securing the perimeter, she felt a chill run down her spine. But she shoved it down, burying it deep inside her. She was detective Sawyer now. It was already hard enough to be taken seriously as a woman in her field without her throwing up in front of everybody.

"Sawyer!" She heard a voice call out her name, and walked into the alley for the first time. Three CSI's were scouring the area, photographing and marking evidence, and the ME was already near the dumpster, rummaging through his kit. But the voice had come from a person standing further down the alley.

She walked towards the figure, flanked by Holmes, and recognized the woman immediately. Julia Goodwin, the District Attorney. Maggie had a lot of respect for her, but knew that it meant trouble if she saw her at a scene.

"Detective." Goodwin continued. "I assume you can make sense of this?"

"Barely, ma'am." Maggie sighed. "But I might if I get a closer look at it."

"By all means, take your time. I've sent someone to the victim's house to inform his family."

 _The victim_. As if he hadn't given his life and heart to protect this city.

But Maggie bit her tongue and nodded politely, as she made her way over to the dumpster, meeting up with the ME – Sheldon Merbon. A graying old man, yet the precision with which he wielded his scalpel was unrivaled.

"Doctor." She greeted him. He looked up and smiled, before focusing back on the task at hand: investigating the body.

Maggie willed herself not to look into Hayes' lifeless eyes.

"At first glance… It seems like our victim was poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Maggie repeated with a frown. Poisoning was a very controlled and cunning way to murder. It required careful planning, not like the brutal way of strangling or clubbing a victim to death.

Merbon nodded. "I'd have to do an autopsy to be sure. But based on the markings around his mouth, and the spots on his skin, I'd say poisoning. Time of death would be between 5 and 7 pm."

"He must have been taken while he was heading home. Okay." Maggie closed her eyes for a second to think. If Hayes' murderer was the same man that killed all those women, sure enough, there was a reason behind it. He motivated his killings.

And sure enough, today was a Friday.

So if he'd stick to his schedule… That meant she had one week until she herself would turn up dead in a dumpster somewhere.

7 days to solve the murder.

"There's something else." Merbon drew her attention again, as he moved towards the body. "The note left on the dumpster had your name on it, but Hayes had a note on him as well."

He moved towards Hayes' jacket, and fished out a letter. Maggie quickly grabbed a pair of gloves from Merbon's kit, before receiving the piece of paper, unfolding it.

She frowned, as her eyes flitted over the paper.

 _Maggie Sawyer_

 _270 -_ _1802 -_ _0015_

It was a bunch of random numbers. She assumed that they had something to do with the case, and that Ian may have actually been onto more than she'd anticipated. But unless he had an evidence board in his garage filled with tangible clues, Maggie couldn't make sense of most of it.

As she looked around the alley, something else caught her eye.

Something on the rooftop above her.

She was sure she'd seen a figure standing above them, watching them. But it had disappeared as quickly as she'd seen it, so it could have been her mind playing tricks on her.

"You done?" Holmes walked up to her. "Got anything?"

"Some clues." She said, as she showed him the paper. "…But I only recognize the first one. 270. It's my badge number."

"Why did he know that?"

Maggie shrugged, but her mind was racing. Those other two numbers. She needed to know what they meant.

"Listen. Go back home. Get some rest. The last thing we need is another cop being found in a dumpster. Make sure you're not alone for the next couple of days, and I'll keep you informed on the progress."

Maggie frowned. "You're cutting me off?! Holmes, I need to investigate this!"

"You don't need to do anything." Holmes countered. "You're science division. I'm Homicide. This has nothing to do with aliens, this is just a cop killer seeking attention. And we won't give him any, we're going to throw his sorry ass in jail for the rest of his life. But I'm not letting you walk into the line of fire."

"Fuck off, Mike." Maggie hissed at him. "I'm the reason he's dead, I'm not going to sit at home watching TV while that fucker is still walking the streets."

"I don't give a damn how you keep yourself entertained, Sawyer." He took a step closer so that they were almost touching noses. "You're not getting this case. And if you pulled your head out of your ass for two seconds, you'd agree that you'd be better off sitting this one out. The Lieutenant lets you stick around because you get results, but if it were up to me, I'd have kicked you off the force a long time ago. You're not a hero, Sawyer. You're just a self-destructive maniac that runs into trouble head first without thinking."

Maggie didn't back down from his macho pose. She raised an eyebrow, glancing him up and down. "Well, then, let's hope it works out for me this time."

After that, she snatched Ian's note out of his hands and tucked it into her leather vest, ignoring the protests of a nearby CSI about contaminating evidence. Without another glance back, she walked out of the alley.

She didn't want to show how much Holmes' words had stung. _Self-destructive maniac._

She had been insistent on leaving Alex alone in the cabin, praying that the monster would come after her and not Alex. Praying that he'd leave the agent alone. She'd been ready to die if it meant saving Alex, in a heartbeat. _Without thinking._

She angrily wiped at the tears in her face, determined not to show them to anybody.

Because she'd be damned if Holmes was taking the investigation away from her. She owed it to Ian Hayes to find out the truth.

And the Homicide department hadn't had any luck in finding the killer for five years.

Maggie had one week to figure it out.

She didn't have a choice. NCPD or not, she was going to find the killer.

And put a bullet between his eyes. For Ian.


	3. Chapter 3

"Babe?" Alex yelled out when she heard the door to her apartment unlock. It was close to four in the morning, but she hadn't been able to sleep at all without knowing if Maggie was alright. The detective had promised to text her, but she hadn't received anything.

"Yeah." Maggie yelled back, putting her keys and gun down on the counter. She knew that Alex was in the bedroom, and decided to spare her the trouble of getting up. Instead, she walked into Alex's line of vision, and smiled weakly. "I'm home."

"I…" Alex cut herself off immediately, not knowing where to start. She didn't want to overstep once again, she didn't want to pressure Maggie into telling her anything. It was work: Alex didn't intervene with Maggie's work, and Maggie didn't intervene with hers. That was an established rule between the two of them.

And Maggie – though tired – looked physically unharmed anyway. She took comfort in that fact.

The detective moved to sit down on the bed, looking her fiancée in the eyes. "Did you get any sleep?"

"I was worried about you." Alex answered. It gave Maggie what she needed to deduce that Alex'd had another restless night.

She put her hand in Alex's, interlacing their fingers, and sighed. "A colleague of mine was found dead a few hours ago. It has to do with a cold case of a few years back."

Alex nodded quietly, giving Maggie the space to continue. But when it was clear that that had been all Maggie wanted to tell, she cleared her throat. "So… He got disposed of?"

"That's what it looks like, yeah."

"But if it's a homicide, why did they call you in the middle of the night? I thought you only handled alien cases?"

Maggie smiled weakly. "Yeah. They re-opened the case about a year ago because they thought there may have been an alien involved, and I helped out, but we didn't have any evidence. So now, they want me to lead the investigation."

"So they think it's an alien?"

"It's a possibility." Maggie bit her tongue as soon as she'd said the words. She didn't mean to lie to Alex. She didn't want to keep secrets from her at all. If anything, she wanted nothing more than to let out all of her frustrations, guilt and sadness by screaming into her shoulder, crying into her chest. But she knew better. She couldn't worry Alex, not when the other woman was still so traumatized.

She'd do her best to stay out of danger. But nobody could know about it. If she could be one step ahead of Holmes and his investigative team, she could work without the NCPD. She didn't need them, she'd handled plenty of cases on her own.

And the last thing she wanted to do was show off that she _could_ handle it. She needed justice.

Truth be told, she hadn't even come home for Alex. She'd come home for her notebook, in her bedside drawer.

The District Attorney had sent people to Ian's house, to tell his family. They would ask to take a look around, and get permission without a warrant. Maggie knew how it worked. Anything relevant to the case would be brought in as possible evidence.

But Maggie knew better.

Ian Hayes never took work home with him, because he didn't want to confront his wife and children with the horrors. He'd never want one of his kids to find pictures of a crime scene on his desk.

So Ian had a small boat, in the harbor. He liked to cruise around on the river, and had invited Maggie over more than once. And more than once, she'd respectfully declined,because she was _not_ made for a life on sea, she knew from experience.

But the boat was his baby. And she knew that all of Ian's work, if he did have a lead, would be on it. Far away from his kids and wife, so that it couldn't hurt them.

She was well aware that Ian's wife would probably tell them about the boat. But if she could get a head start, and figure out things before the cavalry got there – then she would leave Holmes biting the dust.

While she stroked Alex's hand with her own, and kissed it gently as she saw that the agent's eyes were closing now that she knew that Maggie was safe, she reached into the bedside drawer and fished out her notebook, tucking it in her back pocket.

When she was sure that Alex was at least not awake enough to ask questions, she slipped off the bed and took a seat on the couch.

She knew the harbor, but she didn't know where the boat was docked. He had mentioned it once though, and Maggie remembered writing it down for future reference. So now, she flipped through the pages, finally finding the new location of the boat.

Then, she hesitated. She knew she needed to be fast to be ahead of Holmes. But leaving Alex now without an explanation would mean worrying her even further.

Instead, she settled on leaving a note.

' _Need to go back to do some paperwork. Love you.'_

At least if Alex woke up to an empty bed, she'd know not to bother calling. They both knew how boring paperwork was, so Maggie considered it the perfect lie. Alex wouldn't ask questions, and she'd have the rest of the night.

And if something happened, well. At least Alex would know how she felt.

She took her keys and her gun from the counter again, and closed the door behind her, heading to her Triumph in the parking lot.

Maggie sincerely hoped her gut feeling was right. That there wasn't going to be an entire wall of evidence in his garage as she'd previously feared. That Ian was still the man she thought he was; a cop that made sure his family was never endangered or bothered by his work.

Because if he wasn't – that meant she was getting fired for sure.

Maybe, in the end, that's what the killer wanted all along. Retiring her from the force. Getting her fired, blacklisted. Maybe he was playing the long game.

As she neared the harbor, a strange feeling began to settle in her stomach again. The same weird anticipation she'd felt earlier, at the crime scene. Her body screaming at her that this wasn't right, that she should get back-up. Just in case it was a trap.

But she ignored the protests, bit through the fear, and reached for her gun the second she'd jumped off her bike.

The harbor was completely quiet and deserted, except for the single beam of the flashlight of the guard on duty. She checked her notebook again for the exact location. She had to go into the guard's direction.

 _Great_.

She considered her options. She could come out, showing off her badge and asking to search the boat, but knowing the harbor, the guard was probably trained and would ask her for a warrant that she didn't have.

The only other option she had was to sneak to the dock and onto the boat. If she would get in trouble she'd wing it, maybe bluff her way out of it.

After all, there was truth to what Holmes had said. She got results, but more often than not did she spend an afternoon after a case in the Lieutenant's office, explaining herself and getting reprimanded.

She settled on the latter, moving in the direction of the boat. He'd name it the _Hayden_ , after his oldest son, whom Maggie had met a few times at precinct barbecues and receptions. Ian's kids were all in their mid-twenties to thirties, and had careers and families of their own that Maggie barely knew anything about. Though Ian had told her he was a grandfather and had shown the pictures, she blanked on specifics and details.

As she approached the boat in the slip she'd written down, she saw to her relief that the word _Hayden_ was painted in gold letters along the side.

She stepped onto the deck, and crouched to stay out of sight of the flashlight beam. Crawling towards the hatch, she cursed to herself as she found it locked.

 _Shit._ Well, of course he'd lock his boat if there was something valuable inside. It just confirmed her theory.

Though she didn't have a key at all.

But Ian should have had a spare key somewhere. Perhaps even on the boat itself.

And if Holmes made it to the boat to search it, _someone_ had to open the hatch anyway. Whether by force or not.

Maggie took a deep breath, and started crouching around the boat, searching every hole and crack for the spare key. But without any light source, it was hard to see any shapes in the pitch black night. The deck wasn't all that big, and soon enough, the search came up empty-handed.

Plan B. She was running out of time.

Ian liked fishing. She remembered seeing fishing supplies stacked underneath a tarp on the other side of the deck. She turned around and sped towards it, sliding her hand underneath the tarp and touching around. Finally, her hand came into contact with a small box, and she pulled it towards her.

As she opened the box, she heard the unmistakable sound of a car pulling up close by. It was the middle of the night, so Maggie knew that it wasn't a coincidence.

They had discovered the boat. But she was also victorious; the box was filled with fishing hooks.

She grabbed two of them, bent them to the shape she needed, and got to work on the padlock. Granted; picking locks was a thing of the past for her, as she now usually had the law on her side to open doors for her. But she was grateful for the skills, as the padlock clicked open in less than a minute.

Shouts and more flashlight beams appeared, and Maggie whispered another curse as she opened the hatch and dropped down below the deck, and into the cabin.

Now finally out of sight, she grabbed her phone and used the flashlight to look around. The cabin was deserted, but it looked like Ian had been here before his death. There were still dishes on the table, and as Maggie headed into the small bedroom, the bed looked like it had been slept upon recently.

Which only fueled Maggie's assumption that Ian had spent time here in the last three days, trying to figure something out.

She started rummaging through the drawers, trying to find anything that concerned police work. But once again, she was stumped.

As she looked around, hands on her hips and flashlight shining at the floor, it was hard not to get disappointed. But Maggie knew she had to find something fast. So she did an entire sweep of the bedroom, as the only room she hadn't touched.

She opened the cupboard, and smirked instantly at the sight of a safe greeting her on the lowest shelf. She kneeled down next to it, and saw the numerical panel.

With another weak smile, she realized what Ian had done.

He had anticipated her knowing about the boat, and had left a message for her to get there first.

Because she'd only need two tries to get the code right.

 _1802_ or _0015._ The two other codes on the paper he'd left her.

On the first try, the safe unlocked itself. 1802. She made a mental note to remember the code, and to try and see if something was connected to the number. But then she shoved the thought into the back of her mind, as she focused on the contents in front of her.

Case files. She opened them quickly, only reading the headers to know what they concerned.

Four of them were the murders of the women that he'd talked about. Left in dumpsters on Friday nights. The fifth one was a Narcotics case she didn't recognize.

She ran out of time to see the last one.

As she heard voices nearing, and loud thuds on the piers surrounding her, she knew it was time to move.

She grabbed the six folders, and a small box in the back that she didn't know the contents of, and shut the safe again.

Her mind racing, she ran towards the kitchenette and reached into the cupboards, hoping to find anything that could help.

To her relief, she found a roll of trash bags. She quickly ripped one off, shoved the rest back into the cupboard, and made her way up to the hatch, already putting the files and box into the black bag.

Just in time to see a flashlight almost shining in her eyes.

Maggie dodged out of the way, running to the stern of the ship. She ran, jumping off the boat, and landing less-than-elegantly in the water.

It was freezing. She screamed as the cold made spikes of pain shoot through her head, her headache from earlier coming back with a vengeance.

The air in the bag in her hands dragged her upwards, so she had to resurface, her head leaning against the back of the boat.

The voices above her now made it to the deck.

"… _you hear that?_ " It sounded like Holmes.

" _Nah, was probably just a bird. There's a lot of them splashing around at night."_ She didn't recognize that voice, but it was probably either another detective, or the security guard.

" _You search below deck, I'll do the boathouse."_

"… _It's actually called a cockpit."_ A third voice.

" _Who gives a fuck what it's called, Johnson? Get the fuck to work."_

Maggie waited until she was certain that both detectives and the guard were occupied and moving around to take a deep breath and dive back underneath the surface, swimming towards a ladder on the other side of the pier.

She managed to slip away undetected and ran to her bike, still dripping water. The encounter had been close – _too close_.

But now at least she was one step ahead of Holmes.

She pulled her bike into the street, started it, and sped off through the night. Her first thought was to go back to Alex's apartment, but coming home drenched and holding a trashbag filled with evidence and case files didn't seem like an inconspicuous act.

But her phone was completely soaked, so there was no way that she could send out a text to indicate that she was fine, and spending the night at her own apartment.

Both options meant trouble.

But she had to review those files, so her own apartment seemed much more appealing.

If that meant another fight with Alex and her damn worried eyes, so be it.

At least she made it home tonight. Hayes never had that luck.

Without a second thought, she revved her bike's engine, and sped off into the street towards her apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

She hadn't anticipated somebody being in her apartment the second she unlocked the door.

As she heard a noise coming from the window, she drew her gun immediately and pointed in the direction of the sound. She knew it was a paranoid move; her window was probably just open and the noise was probably just the curtain.

But it wasn't.

"Easy." A voice coming from inside her apartment made her switch on the light of her living room.

The figure standing near the windows, dressed in red and blue, raised an eyebrow.

"Jesus, Kara, can you not sneak up on people in the middle of the night?"

The blonde didn't respond to Maggie's statement, and watched silently as the detective raised a hand to her chest and tucked away her gun, throwing the trash bag to the side quickly before Kara asked too many questions.

"I was patrolling late and I heard you at the crime scene." Kara tilted her head with a frown, taking in her appearance. "…You're soaked."

"Yeah, sorry. I was on my bike and I drove through a puddle." Maggie sighed, trying to sound annoyed at the wetness. "It's everywhere, I'm going to go take a shower."

Kara continued to observe the detective as she put down her gun and badge and walked around her apartment. She knew that something was off; it hadn't rained in National City for at least two days. And Maggie appeared way too soaked for just a puddle on the road. It looked like she'd gone swimming with her clothes on.

"Did you want something, or did you just come here to scare me?" Maggie asked, looking over her shoulder to her girlfriend's sister, still standing in the same spot.

"I came to check on you. A murder on your first day back at work, it must be tough."

"It's four thirty in the morning. The only thing I want to do is sleep. I appreciate the sentiment, but I really just want to crash, Kara."

"Then why did you come here? Why didn't you go to Alex's?"

Maggie stopped in the middle of taking off her jacket, and turned around to face the blonde. "Is this an interrogation? I didn't want to wake her up _again_ in the middle of the night. I wanted her to get some sleep, I'll just go back whenever I wake up. Is there something _wrong_ with that?!"

Classic projection. Her words made Kara seem like the bad guy for blaming Maggie for thinking about Alex first. And it worked, as Kara's eyes widened and she shook her head immediately. "No! No, nothing wrong. Sorry, I just… I just wanted to know that everything's alright. And… I see that you're fine. So… Goodnight."

She turned around, jumped up Maggie's window, and shot up into the sky. Maggie sighed as she watched her fly away, and dropped down onto her couch, not caring about the water dripping onto the leather.

Now that she had whatever Ian was working on, she figured she could get some rest. She'd wake up early to review the files, but with the adrenalin from the near encounter was wearing off, she found it hard to stay awake.

After a quick shower, she dropped down into her bed, staring at her damaged phone. She'd have to get a new one tomorrow, otherwise Alex would be worried out of her mind.

And she knew that Kara didn't exactly buy her excuse about driving through a puddle. She saw it in the blonde's eyes. She just thanked whoever was listening that Kara hadn't asked about the trash bag. That would have been problematic.

She was getting caught up in a web of lies. She didn't want to lie to Kara, and most certainly not to Alex. But she had to. The closer she'd get to something tangible, the hotter it would become for her. If whoever was doing this knew about even one small encounter she'd had with Ian in the precinct, she was sure they'd know much more than just that.

If the Rick Malverne story had been any indication – it wasn't hard to get from Alex to Maggie and vice versa. And Maggie was not putting Alex in the line of fire. Never again.

Eventually, she managed to fall asleep.

The nightmares came fast. And soon enough, she was screaming for Alex again.

Yet she bit her lip as soon as she jumped awake. Alex wasn't there. She couldn't hold her.

But it was for the best.

* * *

"What was your first impression of the cabin?"

"It was… Beautiful. Large, and modern. My first thought was that when we'd be married, we needed a getaway like that too."

Fisher nodded, writing something down. "And what did you do after that?"

"I told her how happy I was that we were there. That we were together. And then I told her I loved her, and we started kissing." Alex hesitated after that, playing with her thumb absent-mindedly. "…We had sex for a couple of hours."

"Did you notice that there were any microphones or cameras installed while you were walking around the cabin for the first time?"

"No." Alex shook her head immediately. "I let my guard down."

"As expected, Alex." Fisher frowned. "You were on holiday. You couldn't have seen it coming."

"But I should have." Alex sighed, closing her eyes. "If I'd seen them, none of it would have happened."

"Okay, why don't we leave that on the table for now, and move on, okay?" Fisher went back to scribbling notes. "Why did you stop?"

Alex swallowed thickly. "We just… Laid down on the bed and talked after a while. Then we got dressed again, and I… I suggested we'd go _hiking_."

"How did she take it?"

"She agreed. She said she'd never done it, but it was too beautiful outside _not_ to. It wasn't something we thought about, we just went."

"But you did bring your guns."

"Just to be safe. Laurent had warned us about the wildlife, I didn't want to risk it."

"Okay, why don't we take a break." Fisher smiled weakly. "Some water? Coffee?"

"Water is fine, thank you." Alex nodded politely as the man walked out of his office, leaving her by herself.

When she'd woken up, it was around seven in the morning, and Maggie hadn't been there. Of course, her initial response was a worried panic, but she'd relaxed when she'd found the note. Paperwork sucked, and Maggie had enough on her mind without having to bother doing it. So she probably just slept at the precinct, or maybe she'd pulled an all-nighter with the investigation.

Alex knew the hours of their jobs were never regulated, so she tried not to worry too much. And Maggie probably still hadn't texted back because she just hadn't had the time or didn't think about it. Alex knew how it was.

She just hoped Maggie was alright.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she raced to pull it out, but then saw that it was a text from Kara. _Lunch?_

She smiled, and typed back. _12? My place?_

She didn't bother to check the reply, as she knew that her sister would be there. She didn't want to go out yet, not until she had the prosthetic. She despised the looks of pity people gave her. An old man on the street had 'thanked her for her service' earlier with a solemn look in his face. She didn't want it, she didn't need it. She wasn't a hero for getting her leg chopped off because of falling down a cliff.

She'd feel much more comfortable once she had two feet on the ground again. At least the prying looks and sad smiles would stop. She hated them.

Soon enough, Dr. Fisher returned with a big glass of water, and sat down to continue their session. And before she knew it, Alex was back inside the forest of three weeks ago, getting chased by an alien disguised as a bear.

* * *

"I got you a burger and fries." Kara said quickly, before Alex could even walk through her door. The blonde was dressed in her civilian clothes, the glasses up on her nose, and motioned towards a bag of take-out on Alex's kitchen aisle. The agent smiled. "Thanks, Kar."

"So… How was your therapy?"

"Getting there." Alex shrugged as she reached for the wrapped burger. "…It's tough to revisit all of it, especially by myself."

"Well, can't you ask Maggie to come with you? I'm sure she wouldn't mind?"

"She does mind." Alex sighed, taking a bite. "…She got angry at me for getting her an appointment."

Kara didn't seem at all surprised. "She's been acting weird all day. Especially last night."

Alex tilted her head curiously. "Last night? When did you see her?"

"I flew over the crime scene and there was another detective talking to her. It was pretty bad; it sounded like he was telling her that she was a self-destructive maniac."

Alex frowned. "She looked a bit worn down when she came back, but…"

"And then I went to check on her, she got back to her own apartment at half past four, and she was completely soaked. Like someone had hosed her down, she was _dripping_." Kara shook her head. "She was lying to me about where she'd been, and she was holding this black bag…"

Alex nodded slowly. So Maggie _hadn't_ been filling out paperwork. She probably hadn't even been at the precinct.

Immediately, hundreds of thoughts started racing through her mind. Was Maggie cheating on her? Maybe she didn't want a life with someone dragging her down like Alex had been doing the past weeks. Maybe…

"I mean, I'm sure she has an explanation for it…" Kara said quickly, seeing the look on her sister's face. "Why don't you talk to her about it?"

"She's shutting me out, Kara." Alex sighed sadly. "I… I don't know what to do."

The blonde seemed to think for a moment. "Okay, I'll keep an eye out for her, alright? Check in on her, see what she's up to. Just to make sure she's not in trouble."

Alex wrapped her arms around her sister. "Thank you so much, Kara."

Kara smiled, as she hugged her back.

* * *

Maggie promised herself to from now on always listen to other cops' gut feelings.

Because Ian's, well… At least he'd been right about the fact that the killer was dangerous.

Sitting at her table, glass of whiskey in hand, she analyzed the case files of the four women. All of them were poisoned, probably in the same way Ian had been. But apart from the way they were murdered, there was nothing that bound the women together. They came from different backgrounds, varied in age, and had vastly different lifestyles.

One of them had kids, the other had married another woman. One was a manager, another a stripper. At first glance, Maggie deemed it impossible to find a proper link between them.

Ian had written several words into the files, but they were vague and cryptic, and she had no idea how to decipher what he meant.

Then, another thought popped into her head. Why would Ian, who had all the friends high up he wanted, in all of the other departments, trust _her_ with a case this important? Why hadn't he stepped to the Lieutenant or one of his partners for help? Why her?

The only thing that separated her from them was the fact that she was an expert on aliens. But that didn't matter if the killer was human…

…Unless of course, he wasn't.

The tox reports that had been run on the victims had been inconclusive four times. Apparently the ME's had no idea what type of poison had been used.

Which only strengthened the assumption that maybe the killer was an alien after all. Ian must have thought that she, with her knowhow on alien species, would have a better shot at solving it than all of the NCPD combined.

 _Suck it, Holmes._

She reached for the other two files, and opened them.

The Narcotics case confused Maggie. She had no idea why it was relevant to the killings, seeing as how Ian was onto the poison coming from an alien.

The events of the case happened about a year ago – a woman claimed that someone spiked her drink during a night of partying, and she woke up in an abandoned building with no memories of the night before. They'd found traces of rohypnol in her system, but had never found who did it.

Maggie opened the sixth case, the one she hadn't been able to read on the boat.

Her eyes widened, and she felt her stomach drop.

The case of an alien hunting and injuring two women, and murdering another with its acid.

In Montana.

 _The Magh'rah._


	5. Chapter 5

Maggie's hands shook as she went through the file, her _own_ file. Complete with her own testimony, Alex's, and even detailed interrogations of Alice and Laurent.

When she saw pictures of Finley's burnt body snapped at the cabin crime scene, she closed the file abruptly. She already saw plenty of Finley in her nightmares without having to be reminded that the woman sacrificed herself to save her.

Why did Ian have this. Why did he copy, or even _steal_ it? Did the NCPD even _have_ that file? It wasn't at all their jurisdiction…

Maggie couldn't make sense of it. Until she glanced at the cover again, and saw a single word scribbled in pencil.

 _Sawyer._

It was abundantly clear that Ian knew more than he'd let on. But the breadcrumb trail was starting to annoy her. If he really wanted her help, why didn't he just tell her about the case?

Maggie took a deep breath, and thought about her next move. She had the files, now all she needed was to connect them. Get to know the victims, see if she could find anything that brought them together.

Ian's wife, Joan, had been kind to her every time she'd met her. Whenever she came over to check on Ian after a tough case, or to talk business, Joan had been there with a hot meal, a beer, and a hug. Maggie was cautious in calling her 'like a mother', but she knew that it wasn't a far-fetched sentiment. The woman cared about her.

Even without the investigation, Maggie knew that she had to go see if Joan needed anything. If there was anything she could do. And whatever other information she could pick up was a plus.

But before that, she knew she had to go back to Alex. Her mind was already racing with apologies and excuses for her phone. So she tucked the files back into the bag, and put them in her safe, before she hopped back onto her bike, and drove to her fiancées apartment.

Why had Ian been so interested in what had happened to them in Montana? Why had he taken his time to review the case files, scribble notes next to them, and put them with a cold serial murder case?

Unless their adventure in Montana _had_ something to do with the murders, of course.

Had it been the alien hunting them, also responsible for the killings?

Maggie grunted at the thought of Alex. She'd figured out the entire deal through her talks with Alice, so the agent _had_ to know more about the alien.

Could she really ask Alex for help, with all that had happened? Could she take the risk of letting Alex in on the craziness and pushing her into the killer's radar?

She weighed her options. And settled on the best solution – asking questions without consequences.

She hated to lie and manipulate. But she could talk safely with Alex once that killer was behind bars, and she didn't have the risk of lying in a dumpster on a Friday evening. Then, she could explain all that was necessary.

If Alex didn't want her anymore after that – well… At least she'd been safe.

That was all Maggie really wanted anyway.

She parked her bike on the street, and headed up to the apartment, unlocking the door.

"Alex?" She yelled out as she entered the living room, but froze when she saw Alex and Kara sitting on the couch. Alex's eyes were red and brimmed with tears, and Kara was hugging her sister, trying to comfort her.

"Babe…?" Maggie put her helmet down and ran towards the couch, crouching in front of it so she was at eye-level with her. "What's going on? What happened?!"

Alex opened her mouth a few times without sound. Kara seemed conflicted between staying and leaving, but apparently decided on the latter. "I'll…"

She didn't finish the sentence, as she grabbed the remaining take-out, and ran out the door. Maggie watched her go with a frown, as she turned back to Alex and grabbed her hand. "Al?"

"Where were you?" Alex whispered. Maggie looked at her with a sad smile. "Hey… I left you a note, didn't you see it?"

"You said paperwork." Alex sniffed. "… You could have come home. I called you."

"Al, my phone is broken. I went to my place because I didn't want to-…" Maggie started, but Alex shook her head quickly and interrupted her. "No, don't give me that. Don't tell me you did it for me. That's what you told Kara, but it's bullshit."

Maggie tilted her head in confusion. "Alex, I'm _not_ lying."

"Then why won't you talk to me? About _anything_?" Alex yelled out, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. "Why won't you tell me what's going on, instead of trying to tell me that it's all alright! You _always_ come back here after work, even if it's the middle of the night!"

Maggie jumped back to her feet to take a seat next to Alex on the couch. "Look, I _want_ to tell you what's going on, Alex. Believe me. I _need_ you right now, so much. I can't do this alone…"

Alex wiped at her tears as she waited for Maggie to elaborate. But the detective sighed and looked away. "…But I _can't_ talk about it with you."

Alex grunted in frustration, and finally lashed out. "I tell you _everything_! When there's a case at work I can't handle, I tell you about it! I thought we could rely on each other, I thought you wanted to marry me!"

"I do, Alex!" Maggie shot back, feeling completely helpless at the situation unfolding. She didn't want to fight with Alex at all; she came to talk. To apologize. But it seemed like the agent's patience had reached its limit. And Maggie knew that she deserved every word flung at her face.

"… Then why the _fuck_ don't you trust me?!"

Losing Alex now, or losing Alex later.

Either way, Maggie knew that she'd lost.

So instead of screaming back, she got up, and walked back to the door. Turning around one last time. "I'm doing it because I love you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Alex shot back from her spot on the couch, cursing herself for being unable to run after her.

Maggie smiled sadly, already feeling the tears sting in her eyes again. "I'm sorry, Alex."

After that, she moved to slip out of the apartment, already bracing herself for the tears that were undoubtedly going to fall the second she'd close the door behind her.

But she didn't count on Alex, hopping upright from the couch, and stumbling towards the door. "No! You don't get to run away from this!"

Maggie froze for one second, before seeing the state of rage and carelessness that Alex was in. She could fall and seriously hurt herself. So she turned back to wrap her arms around her.

Alex shoved her hands away, now leaning on the kitchen aisle and looking her in the eyes. "I want the _truth,_ Maggie!"

The detective swallowed thickly. "I… I don't want to fight."

"Answer the _fucking_ question!" Alex yelled, slamming her hand down onto the marble and breathing heavily, before her expression changed from anger to confusion. "I… I'm tired, Mags. I don't get it. I don't… _understand_ …"

A strange feeling enveloped Maggie, as she stared in Alex's worried and hurt eyes.

If she really _was_ going to die… She didn't want to spend one more second knowing that she hurt Alex. Knowing that she was never going to be able to say goodbye properly.

She walked towards Alex, and put a hand on her cheek, looking her in the eyes and resting her forehead against hers. "I don't… I don't have enough yet. Give me until tonight, okay? I'll explain everything tonight."

If she could get to Ian's house and get started on building a case… If she could be confident that she had a handle on it, maybe she could let someone help. Not Alex, but at least Kara, or the DEO. They had resources the NCPD didn't. And if the Magh'rah was involved…

… Alex at least deserved to know the truth.

The agent nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll cook. Seven?"

Maggie closed her eyes for a second at the sheer _love_ she felt radiating from Alex. How once again the agent gave her space that she didn't deserve.

"I'm so sorry, Alex. I never meant to hurt you. But…"

"I get it." Alex cut her off. "I'm just… worried that you're putting yourself under too much pressure so quickly."

 _If only she knew._

Tonight, they were going to talk about the Magh'rah, and what happened in Montana. It had to be done, like ripping off a band-aid. In order for everything to be alright between the two of them. And depending on the rest of the day, she'd tell Alex about her case.

Then, if she'd fail during the next week, at least she'd die knowing that there were no secrets between the two of them. That Alex could trust her with her life.

After checking on Alex, and making sure that she had everything she needed, she went back to work.

She drove to the precinct first. She had to ask her Lieutenant for a week off work. If she knew him like she thought she did, he'd be suspending her for a week without her even needing to open her mouth. Although the police got a lot of threats that they often didn't follow up on, this one was definitely to be taken seriously.

Sure enough, the second she stepped into his office, Lieutenant Cooper frowned. "Sawyer? What are you doing here?"

Maggie knew she had to play her cards right, and feigned innocence. "I'm… at work, sir?"

"I was against Holmes taking you to that crime scene, Sawyer." He grunted. "And I don't want you out in the field with that killer singling you out."

"Sir, I'm not working the case. Holmes made that abundantly clear. But I can still do my job…!"

"No." Cooper shook his head. "I'm taking you off duty until we catch this guy, and I'm putting officers at your apartment."

 _Shit_. That was the opposite of what she needed. But she knew that she wasn't going to change Cooper's mind.

"Can you at least tell me if they've made any progress?"

"Ask Holmes, he's probably at his desk. But after that, you're going straight home."

"Understood." Maggie nodded, leaving the office quickly, and walking over to the Homicide department. But before she could spot anyone, an arm behind her yanked her own right side backwards and into an empty office. Maggie flinched as a spike of pain shot through her still healing shoulder.

The door shut behind her, and she looked up at her assailant, to see Holmes.

Looking absolutely pissed.

"Where are they?!" He hissed at her, still holding her arm in a vice grip.

Maggie tried to shove him away, but he was too strong. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I know it was you. All the case files from the evidence box are gone. You stole them, now _where are they_?!"

"Holmes, let _go_ of me right now, or I swear…"

Before she could finish the threat, the door swung open, and Holmes let go of her quickly. In the doorway stood another detective. "Mike, we have a 911 call from Ian's house. We need to go."

Holmes nodded quickly, before turning to Maggie and raising his finger. "You're staying out of my investigation, Sawyer. And if I find out that you stole those files, you're never seeing daylight again."

"Is that a threat?" Maggie managed to choke out, at least sounding less terrified than she was.

Holmes smiled, and shook his head. "You don't know when to quit, Sawyer. I wouldn't be surprised if the schedule moved up."

Now, _that_ was a threat. And Maggie realized it the second Holmes ran out the door.

Her mind was going a thousand miles a minute. It made sense to have an accomplice at the NCPD. It would explain why the case was never solved. Maybe Holmes had overheard Ian talking to Maggie, maybe…

Whatever Holmes was doing, Maggie needed to prevent him from doing it. She couldn't be certain until she had tangible evidence that he was connected to the case…

The other detective had said something about Ian's house. An emergency.

It took her all of seven minutes to run out of the building, hop onto her bike, and race towards the address.

But she'd been too late.

When she arrived at Ian's house in the suburbs, she was met with the sight of two police vehicles.

She jumped off her bike, and ran towards the windows of the living room.

Her stomach dropped.

Holmes was crouched down next to what was unmistakably Joan Hayes' dead body, lying in a pool of her own blood. He was checking her pulse, but it was safe to say the woman was dead.

Maggie felt bile rise up in her throat and covered her mouth. She couldn't go in now that Holmes was onto her. She couldn't help. She could only watch numbly, as Holmes and his partner called in the murder.

When she felt like she could move again, she ran back to her bike, and hopped on it, hurrying to get as far away from the house as possible.

The killer had murdered Ian's wife.

She was innocent, she didn't know anything about the case.

Maggie screamed, the sound muffled by her helmet, and she pulled over before she could crash her bike. She couldn't breathe, her throat closing up at the sight of Joan's body.

Morphing into Alex's lifeless body, held up by Kara, screaming at her to wake up. The blood…

She was hyperventilating. A full-blown panic attack, as tears clouded her vision. She yanked off her helmet and threw it down onto the ground, falling to her knees.

 _Alex…_

She blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6

When Maggie woke up, she found herself lying on something soft. The last she remembered was passing out on the ground, after…

 _Joan. Alex._

She shot up, a gasp dying on her lips, before she realized where she was.

On her couch, at her apartment.

With two concerned faces hovering over her.

"It's okay, it's okay…" Alex. She was sitting next to Maggie, her hands on both of the detective's shoulders to prevent her from moving around too much.

Maggie grunted; her headache had returned.

The other person in the room, that she now identified as Kara, crossed her arms as she stood next to the coffee table. "Do you know what happened?"

"Kara, easy." Alex shook her head at her sister, as she turned back to Maggie. "Maggie, baby, can you hear me?"

Maggie nodded weakly, laying back down before the throbbing in her head got worse. She brought a hand to her forehead. "Ughh…"

"What hurts?" Alex asked again, bringing a hand up to cup Maggie's cheek. "Is it your head?"

"Mmhm." Maggie confirmed her statement with a groan. "Hurts."

"I'll get something." Kara offered, as she rushed to the bathroom. Alex's other hand went to bring Maggie's up to her face to kiss it. "You're okay, Mags."

"I- I don't…"

"Shhh. Don't worry." Alex smiled weakly. "Take your time."

"What… happened?" Maggie managed to stammer, as Kara came back into the living room with a packet of Advil and a glass of tap water. She gave them both to Alex, allowing her sister to bring the pill up to Maggie's mouth and help her drink.

"I found you by the side of the road." She cleared her throat, looking at Maggie. "I was flying to the DEO when I heard your breathing, you were having a panic attack. I brought you here."

"Thanks, Kara." Maggie managed a lopsided smile.

Alex helped her take another sip of the glass, before easing her back down onto the pillows. When Kara saw that the situation was under control, she whispered something Maggie couldn't understand into Alex's ear, and walked to the window, launching herself up into the sky.

"Al…" Maggie tried. But Alex gently took a hold of her hand, and looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Maggie. I shouldn't have… I put so much pressure on you earlier. I was yelling at you, and it wasn't what you needed. I should have been there for you."

"I'm _scared_ …" Maggie whispered, as she saw Alex's concerned gaze. "I don't know what's going on…"

Alex smiled weakly. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"

Maggie sighed.

"If I tell you the truth, will you promise me you won't go all agent-mode on me? I just… Really need my girlfriend right now, not Agent Danvers."

Alex nodded solemnly. "I promise."

No way back now.

"The murder that happened last night." Maggie swallowed thickly. "The victim was Ian Hayes."

"The detective?" Alex frowned in thought. "The one from the barbecue? The guy that took that bullet for you on your first case?"

"Yeah." Maggie nodded. "He… Apparently, he'd been working on a cold case in his free time. Four murders that happened five years ago. H-he came to me yesterday morning when I went to work-…" She tried to continue, but soon found a lump had formed in her throat at the thought of that conversation. If only she'd been there for him…

Alex gently ran her thumb over the back of her hand, indicating that she was listening. That Maggie was safe.

"… He came up to me and he told me he was being threatened, but I… I _didn't believe him_." Maggie finally sobbed. The tears came quickly, and Alex nodded and wrapped her up into her arms, holding her as she felt her girlfriend shake and tremble.

"It's okay… Shhh… It's okay…" Alex whispered into Maggie's ear. As the detective pulled back, Alex cupped her face in her hands again. "Maggie, listen to me. What happened was not your fault. I know how you feel, I know it's horrible. But you can't blame yourself for this."

"They pulled me off duty, Alex. I'm not allowed to come near the investigation."

Alex tilted her head in confusion. "Then why were you filling out paperwork?"

"I- I wasn't." Maggie sniffed, wiping at her face with the back of her hand. "There was- uh… There was another note near Ian's body, identical to the one he'd gotten. A-and… It had _my name_ on it."

The agent's eyes widened. "Maggie, are you… Are you being threatened?"

"If the murderer follows their schedule, I have until Friday to find him, or I'm killed and left in an alley, Alex…" Another sob. "I didn't… I didn't want to tell you, but I'm…" She cut herself off.

"Oh god…" Alex wrapped Maggie up into her arms again, now finally understanding the pressure she'd been under for the past 24 hours. _God_ , of course. How could she have been so blind. Maggie had been terrified, and the only thing Alex had done was yell at her more, and give her ridiculous ultimatums.

"You're not alone." Alex shook her head. "Mags, I'm here. And Kara, and the DEO… We'll help. We'll get that bastard before he even manages to look at you the wrong way."

"Al, Ian's wife was murdered too." Maggie sobbed. "I can't let you help me, if he comes for you… I- oh God, I can't do this…" She felt herself starting to panic again. But this time Alex was there, shifting so that she could hold Maggie closer, and looking her in the eyes. "Baby, look at me. Calm down, look, breathe. Follow my voice, alright? In… out… in…"

Maggie winced, but after about a minute, she finally managed to follow Alex's rhythm. And when she finally had her breathing under control, she felt exhausted. And the pounding in her head made everything much worse.

"I'm calling work." Alex reached for her cellphone on the coffee table. "Stay put. Get some rest. I'll handle it."

"No… No, Alex." Maggie shook her head. "No handling. Alex, you _promised_..."

But Alex ignored her protests, grabbing her crutch from next to the sofa and limping towards the kitchen. "Milo? I need an update on my leg…"

Maggie watched Alex's face morph into different emotions, before finally settling on a frown. "No, I need it today. Actually, I'm coming for it, so it'd better be ready in 30 minutes… Well, we'll _tweak the bugs_ later then, I need it now. It's important, I fucking need to be able to walk around. And get J'onn, I need to speak to him."

She disconnected the call, and closed her eyes for a second, pointing her phone at Maggie. "You need to brief us on the case."

"Alex, I…" Maggie protested, before sighing. "There's nothing to brief. I don't know anything yet. I don't want the DEO, I didn't tell you because I needed your help. I told you because you deserved to know."

Alex limped back towards the couch, grunting under her breath. "I need my leg, this is ridiculous, I can't even move around..." When she finally plopped down in the chair next to the couch, she put a hand on Maggie's thigh. "Okay. You call the shots, alright? I'm here. Just… If you need an extra pair of hands… I'm not sure I can give you a pair of legs…"

Maggie smiled weakly at the joke. But Alex quickly grew serious again. "We're going to catch this bastard. With or without the NCPD."

"So… you're not mad at me?" Maggie asked in a small voice. Truth be told, she'd already accepted that Alex was going to walk out on her for lying. But as the agent rubbed her back and leaned her forehead against hers, Maggie finally felt like she was going to be alright.

"Ride or die, babe." Alex whispered.

And it was all Maggie needed, to be convinced that she'd made the right decision in telling Alex the truth.

A knock on the door made Alex pull her forehead back and get up. Maggie moved to sit upright, and leaned forward as she finally felt the painkiller starting to take effect.

Alex limped towards the door, and opened it. She didn't recognize the man standing in the doorway, but Maggie sure as hell did.

"Michael Holmes, NCPD. You must be Alexandra Danvers?"

"Yes…?" Alex frowned, glancing back to where Maggie was sitting on the couch.

Holmes glanced at Maggie, and raised a document. "We have a search warrant for this apartment."

"On what grounds?" Alex asked, still blocking the doorway for him and two uniformed officers behind him. He gave her the paper, and she read through it.

 _Illegally obtained case files, stolen from the evidence room._

Alex knew that she was treading on thin ice, but she narrowed her eyes at him anyway. "Why would there be stolen case files from the NCPD at our apartment, officer Holmes?"

" _Detective_ Holmes." He corrected her with a huff. Maggie, from her spot on the couch, had trouble keeping a straight face at how much of a pain in the ass Alex was being. Though the situation was far from funny.

"We have reason to believe that your girlfriend is responsible for stealing the files."

"Why would my _girlfriend_ , an NCPD detective like yourself, and _me_ , an FBI agent, have any interest in stealing case files when we both know how much it sucks putting case files together, _detective_ Holmes?"

"Enough questions. Can you step aside so we can perform the search?"

"I'm trying. I know you cops like to put your foot down, but as you can see, I'm having some trouble with that."

Holmes had the humility to look embarrassed as he now noticed Alex's stump. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't… Take your time."

Alex huffed at him as she shuffled to the side, taking a seat on the couch.

Maggie knew that one of the Officers would be assigned to just looking at the two of them, to check if they would communicate, or if one of them would panic. One look at Alex confirmed that the agent realized the same thing, as she was staring ahead and rubbing at the skin below her right knee.

"Don't touch that." Maggie glared at her. "You need to let it heal."

Alex looked up at her, an angry scowl on her face. "Fucking Stevens. The next time I see him, I'm breaking _his_ leg so he knows what it feels like."

Maggie tried her best to keep a straight face, as she statement completely confused her. But the Officer watching them seemed interested in hearing what Alex had to say, so she had to play along. She assumed Alex was up to something.

"… Babe, you know that he didn't mean to." Maggie had seen how Alex's fist had tensed up, so she assumed she wanted a fight.

She was right, apparently, as Alex growled and shot up. "Are you fucking serious? The guy fucks up, and I risk my ass saving him and get a chopped off leg in return, how the hell can you defend that ass?!"

"Hey…" Maggie stared at her, glancing at the Officers. Both of them – and Holmes – had stopped searching to stare at the unfolding scene. "Not now. Not here."

"Fuck off, Maggie." Alex got up and turned, but lost her balance upon the first step, and tumbled to the ground ungraciously. Maggie gasped and shot up from the couch, but one of the Officers was there first. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Alex!" Maggie kneeled next to her girlfriend, her eyes wide. "Are you okay? Al, talk to me!"

She heard Holmes crouch next to her. "Is she alright?"

"Holmes, fuck _off_!" Maggie yelled over her shoulder, before turning back to her distressed girlfriend. "Alex, do you need me to call an ambulance?! Did your stitches rip?!"

Holmes got up again and whispered something to the officers, who nodded and walked back to the door. He stayed behind. "Sawyer, do you need me to call a bus?"

"Just… _Just_ …" Maggie didn't know what to do. It was obvious that Alex was in pain, as her face was stuck in a grimace and she was clutching at her leg desperately. "It's okay, Alex. You're okay, calm down…"

She turned back to Holmes, tears in her eyes. "Just search whatever the _fuck_ you want, Mike. I didn't steal your fucking files, I have other things on my mind than beating down on my own precinct."

Holmes looked down at how Maggie had turned back to comforting a writhing Alex on the ground, and he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sawyer. I didn't… I still want your testimony. Just… Come by when you get the chance."

After that, he walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind him. But Maggie barely heard him, as she was still too occupied with Alex's pain.

"Babe, how's the pain? Can you tell me how bad it is?"

She didn't expect her girlfriend's expression to go normal within a second, as she moved back upright. Maggie, stunned, helped her up and allowed her to lean on her as she moved Alex back to the couch, crouching down. "Are you okay?"

"Glad _that's_ out of the way."

Maggie's eyes widened, as she realized what had happened.

Alex had faked the entire thing to get Holmes out of the apartment with his warrant.

"Jesus, Al, you're a genius." Maggie wrapped her arms around her, unable to form any other coherent thought.

When they pulled back, Alex raised an eyebrow. "Now, you'd better have a damn good explanation as to why you have stolen files here, because if I find out that you _did_ steal them, I'm cuffing you myself."

Maggie got up and moved towards her gun safe, unlocking it and taking out the black trash bag. "These were on Ian's boat. I don't know why he had them, but it proves that he took them from the evidence room because he was onto something. Look at this one."

Maggie threw it in Alex's direction, and she opened it, her breath hitching at the realization.

"Why did he have this?!" Alex read through the Montana file with wide eyes.

The detective shrugged. "I don't know. But it has something to do with the cold case. Maybe the Magh'rah is the killer."

Alex swallowed thickly. "We need to get these files away from here before that guy comes back to break down your door."

"What do you suggest?"

"The DEO? That's a black site, they'll never get a warrant to search it."

Maggie was less than thrilled at the prospect of the DEO having their hands on the case, but it was only a matter of time until Holmes caught up with her, or some camera had picked her up sneaking around at the harbor.

So Maggie nodded. And Alex wrapped an arm around her waist, looking her in the eyes.

"Let's go get me a new leg, babe."


	7. Chapter 7

"Agent Danvers."

"Ma'am."

Alex nodded at the agents greeting her as she passed them by. They looked her in the eyes, and Alex recognized the same loyalty and trust that she often saw in the field. It touched her that her team could look past her disability, and still saw her as their superior.

She felt Maggie's arm rest on her back, and knew that the detective felt uncomfortable. She was probably nervous – Alex was nervous too. But mostly, she was just glad to get back on her feet again.

"Milo." Alex greeted a man as she guided Maggie into the Engineering department – a large room that looked similar to Alex's lab, but much more crammed with all sorts of devices and machines that Maggie didn't recognize.

She didn't have time to dwell on it, however, as the guy looked up from the computer screen he'd been studying, and nodded politely. "Alex."

Maggie had never seen the man before, but she noticed how familiar he and Alex seemed. They must work together a lot, she figured. Because the first thing Alex did was move towards him and lean over to take a look at the computer screen herself.

 _Always micromanaging._

"What's the latest?" Alex asked, as she tried to make sense of the words flitting over the screen.

Milo sighed. "We won't know for sure until we test it. And we were going to test it on another subject first. But – seeing how impatient you are, I guess we'll have to wing it."

" _Wing it?_ " Maggie piped up from her position near the door. Milo looked up to face her, and his face stretched into a smile. "Don't worry, detective. I'll make sure to leave your girlfriend in one piece. Well, _two pieces_."

Maggie's eyes narrowed. Just because Alex had been making jokes about it didn't make it okay for him. It was a huge deal of trauma, it _had_ to be. So she tensed up, and opened her mouth to snap at him, when Alex interjected quickly. "Ha. Good one."

Maggie glanced at Alex, and saw that the agent had moved towards an examination table in the center of the room, jumping to sit on top of it. There was a smile on her face, so at least that meant that she hadn't been offended.

She had to remember that the guy probably knew Alex far longer than she did. Instead, she settled on staying back and not getting in their way as they continued their conversation about bugs, neurological transmitters, impulses and other terminology that went over her head, clutching the trash bag with the case files she'd brought to the DEO in her hands.

Milo nodded at something Alex had said, and turned back to his screen. "So, it's a two-part operation. First the implant, then the attachment of the transmitters and the prosthetic itself." He wheeled himself closer to Alex on his rolling chair. "Can you take your pants off?"

"Yeah, of course." Alex said, moving down to unbutton her jeans. Maggie was now absolutely torn between staying and leaving. She was sure that Alex could handle it – seeing as how she already appeared an expert on the procedure itself - but she didn't want to leave her alone either.

Her dilemma was answered when Alex looked up at her. "Babe, could you help me with my pants?"

Maggie cleared her throat quickly. "Sure."

She walked towards Alex and gently eased her out of her pants, folding them up and putting them beside her on the table. As she turned to walk back to her spot near the door, she felt Alex grabbing her hand. A silent plea. _Stay with me, hold my hand._

Maggie complied.

Milo sighed. "I paged the rest of the team, they should be here in 15 minutes, at the latest."

"How long is it going to take?" Alex asked, as Maggie felt her squeeze her hand. Maggie gave a quiet squeeze back, to indicate that she was there if she needed anything.

"Both phases combined, I'd say we're looking at about four hours. Inserting and attaching is one thing, but we need to monitor and test closely to ensure that everything is installed correctly."

"If you get this right, you're a genius, Milo."

The man laughed. "Always happy to be of service. Do you want to see it before we begin?"

Alex nodded quickly. He opened up a panel in the wall with a code pressed into a nearby keypad. As the panel moved away, both women stared at the object in front of them.

It was nearly identical to a real severed leg. The skin looked completely realistic, and seemed adapted to Alex's skin tone and shape. Milo grabbed it from its casing, and walked towards them, to show the leg in comparison to the other.

Maggie could barely tell the difference.

"Unbreakable titanium." Milo showed, as he knocked on it. "Completely water and damage resistant. And we're able to close the feedback loop, so it'll work like an actual leg. It'll tell you when it's cold, hot, when it's feeling pressure. The only thing it can't feel is pain."

Alex nodded. "So, I won't have to take it off?"

"I'd still advise to take it off once in a while, but in theory you should be able to keep it on for everything, yes."

Alex glanced sideways towards Maggie, but frowned when she saw tears in Maggie's eyes. She squeezed her hand again. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Maggie quickly dabbed at her cheeks. "Sorry, I'm just…"

Alex smiled. "… Emotional that I'm getting another leg?"

" _God_ , you're the one sitting here and I'm making it all about me." Maggie shook her head, but Alex was having none of it. "No, hey, this is important for you too, of course this is about you. But be happy, okay? I finally won't have to hop around the apartment anymore."

Maggie laughed through her tears, and bit her lips as Alex leaned forward to kiss her. "This is good, babe. This is fixing things."

She doubted their trauma could be wiped away with a new leg, but Maggie understood where Alex was coming from. If she didn't have to look down at the empty space where her foot once had been, it was the first step forward for her.

"I'll be able to go home tonight, right?" Alex said carefully, not wanting to get disappointed. Milo looked up from his screen once again. "That depends on the tests, Alex. If something's wrong with the implant or the prosthetic itself and the connection has issues, then we'll have to keep you here until we have everything greenlit."

Alex turned to Maggie again. "Hey, why don't you work on your thing, okay? Get some more insights. You don't have to stay here to see them do it, and I'll be under anyway."

Maggie bit her lip again, looking uncertain. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Now go, you'd better have made some progress once I wake up. Then maybe we can finally go out for dinner again."

The detective nodded, and gave Alex a goodbye kiss. The agent looked her in the eyes. "You can use my lab, if you want. I'll tell them to keep you posted. And nobody else will disturb you unless it's an emergency."

After that, Maggie turned around, the trash bag in her arms, and made her way out of the room, to Alex's lab on the other side of the corridor. It felt comforting knowing that she was only going to be a mere 25 feet away from Alex, just in case something happened. But in the meantime, the familiar surroundings of Alex's workplace, where she herself had spent countless hours watching in awe how her smart girlfriend worked and researched, where she'd bent her over her own desk and made love to her, were helping to soothe her nervousness.

6 days left.

She started by walking over to the screen on the wall, and frosting the glass around her to make it opaque. The less anybody knew about what she was doing, the better. After that, she got to work.

She started with the profiles of the women, based on what she knew from the case file.

The first murder had been Brittany Armstrong, a 41-year old nurse. Married, with two children. Last seen exiting the hospital after her shift, earlier that day.

The second one was Caroline Woodson, 22. She was a stripper, performing in a bar in one of the rougher neighborhoods of National City. Her stage name was Dakota, and she was a patron favorite, taken in the middle of her shift when she went outside to smoke.

The third victim was Ella Sands, 17. The only underage victim. It hit Maggie like a punch to the gut. The girl was a model student, straight A's, and was well on her way to a full ride to the university of her choice. She'd had a bright future. All ripped away when she never showed up to pick her little brother up after school.

The last woman was Florence Bates, a 39-year old event manager at a hotel in the financial district. She was a lesbian, and had left behind her wife of 3 years. She was notably the only one that had been taken out of her routine – she was at a restaurant with her wife to celebrate their upcoming anniversary. According to the testimony of the spouse, Florence had seen someone she recognized at the entrance, and had walked up to say hello. The wife hadn't suspected anything odd, but when she didn't return after a few minutes, she found her wife had completely vanished.

Maggie put all of their photos up on the opaque glass of the lab, and stepped back. All four of them couldn't be more different. Yet there had to be a physical link between them that would lead to the killer.

Her police instincts told her to go after the last case – it was the one where the killer had stopped, so something had to have happened there. The fact that the victim apparently recognized someone also raised a red flag in her mind.

But with the case being five years old, Maggie doubted she would get anything from the spouse. The woman had probably moved on already, maybe even remarried. Revisiting that would be entirely too painful for the little information she would receive.

She grabbed a marker from Alex's supply, and added two names to the list – Ian and Joan Hayes.

Ian had stuck his nose where it didn't belong, that much was sure. But why did Joan get disposed of? What had she seen that the killer deemed too dangerous?

She went to the computer in the corner. Usually, with a case like this, the NCPD analysts would run background checks on all of the victims to see what connected them. But it was grasping at straws – the connection could go anywhere from having gone to the same kindergarten class, to seeing each other at a party one time, to sharing the same hairdresser. It was a needle in a haystack.

That's where the good old fashioned detective work came in. The part Maggie was good at. Getting information by waving a picture and a 20 dollar bill around in front of the right people's faces.

Okay. Now that she had the profiles, she needed to dive in deeper.

She started off with what she _did_ know – the crime scenes.

She printed out a map of National City, four different times. One for each victim.

Using markers and drawing lines, she got to work on each victim's residence, place where they were presumably taken, and dump site, hoping to see a pattern emerge. But at first glance, there didn't seem to be anything connecting them.

As she stepped back to try and get a new idea, her eyes landed on the two other case files. The Magh'rah, and the unknown predator-drugging case.

If Ian had thought that the cases were connected, that would mean that the Magh'rah was responsible for the murders, and also for the drugging of that woman.

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. The Magh'rah could shapeshift, which explained why none of the disappearances ever got noticed. If he'd morphed into somebody they knew and trusted, of course they would go along without a problem.

It would also explain why the drugged woman didn't remember anything about her night. After all, he'd done the same to Alice the night she and Finley had been at the cabin. Wipe their memory from the day before, and have them wake up somewhere else.

 _Had he been practicing before he moved on to the real work?_

Immediately, a plan started forming in her mind. As painful as it was, and as much as she dreaded it…

She had to go interrogate the Magh'rah.

She knew that he was being detained at a DEO black site, but she doubted it was this one.

Though conveniently, she was in the right place to find out. The only thing she had to do was get into the mainframe, and search the records of alien detention.

Of course, she didn't have the clearance level to access it.

But Alex did.

She logged onto Alex's computer, and saw to her frustration that she needed a keycard to get access to the terminal.

She locked the door behind her, and slipped back into the engineering lab.

Her stomach jumped at the sight in front of her. As much as Alex had smiled about it earlier, it was hard to see her lying on the table, sedated and unmoving, as five people were swarmed around her, drilling holes in her knee and monitoring a screen on the wall that showed a miniature camera feed.

Maggie tried not to make any noise as she walked towards Alex's discarded clothes, folded neatly on a tray. The man from earlier – Milo – noticed her, as he nodded. "Everything's going smoothly, detective."

"Great. Thank you." Maggie smiled weakly, as she finally fished Alex's keycard out of her jacket, and ran back out of the room. She feared that they would ask questions, but given the focused state that they were in, she knew she'd gotten away with it the second she was back outside.

Logging on to Alex's computer was a breeze, and seeing as how Alex had the highest clearance level on site, she had access to every single DEO mission and piece of intel they had. Though she had better things to do than browse.

She cross-references the detention records with the date of the night in Montana, and found the alien quickly. He was held at a site labeled DX0.

It took her all of five minutes to get the location of that specific site. It was about sixty miles away from National City, in the middle of the desert. She knew that she'd never make it back on time without Alex growing suspicious, or being disappointed and worried about Maggie not being there when she woke up.

But fortunately, Maggie had a back-up plan. One that involved another white lie. And another Danvers sister.

She reached for her phone, and dialed Kara's number, running out of Alex's lab and closing the door behind her. The only thing she'd need from Kara was a ride, and her clearance level, so that the guards wouldn't ask questions.

If she could pretend that she needed closure with the Magh'rah, and get five minutes alone with him…

"Hey Kar? It's Maggie. I need you, can you meet me at the DEO?"

After a confirmation and an ETA from Kara, Maggie hung up the phone, glancing at the door separating her from Alex.

If all it took for them to finally close the scariest chapter of their lives was another confrontation with the alien that had caused all of her nightmares and fear, well…

Then Maggie wasn't backing down.


	8. Chapter 8

Kara, as expected, was less than enthusiastic about what Maggie was pitching her.

"I don't get why you'd want to go back to him. He hurt you, he almost killed Alex!"

"Yes, I know Kara. Believe me, I _know_. But I need to look him in the eyes. Kara, I'm barely sleeping, you saw it." Maggie decided to play her ace card. "I need to get this closure. Please?"

The blonde sighed, but finally gave in. "Five minutes. And then I'm getting him out. And I'll be right outside the door the whole time."

"No super-hearing, though." Maggie said quickly, already seeing Kara's intentions. "It's private. He did things… That I want to talk about."

"Okay, fine. But if I hear you screaming or anything, I'm coming in anyway." Kara decided, before walking over to the balcony. "I thought you hated flying with me?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I do." Maggie sighed, already nauseous at the prospect. "…But a car won't get me there fast enough."

"Fast enough for what?"

The detective winced. Alex probably hadn't told anyone except her that she was going to get the surgery. Probably because she wanted to surprise them, and to save them from unnecessary worrying, like Maggie was doing right now. So she shook her head quickly. "Just… You know. It would take me three hours to get there, I want to get this over with."

Kara seemed to buy it, wrapping her arms around the detective and launching her into the sky.

Sure enough, not even five seconds later, Maggie regretted the decision to ask Kara for help, as she felt her stomach turn. She clenched her eyes shut and whispered to herself, counting to ten and starting all over again.

A few minutes later, Kara touched down on a dirt road in the middle of the desert. "This is DX0."

Maggie frowned, looking around. All she saw was sand.

She opened her mouth to ask Kara if she was sure they were in the right place, when she watched the blonde step forward, looking at the ground and humming to herself. A crack in the road caught her attention, and she took one leap to the side. After that, she turned her head in Maggie's direction. "Cloaking technology. Super cool."

The detective rolled her eyes at the pun, and watched Kara raise a hand and touch the air in front of her, until she couldn't push any further. She tapped her hand around what Maggie assumed was either an invisible wall, or a very impressive mime performance.

Finally, Kara found the spot she was looking for, and started tapping her fingers as if she was entering a code. When she was done, Maggie's eyes widened as she saw a large garage-like door appear out of thin air.

"Wow."

Kara smiled, as she pushed it open. "Wait out here, they might shoot you on sight if they don't recognize you."

"Oh. That's perfect." Was the sarcastic reply. Kara didn't respond to it, as she stepped inside with raised hands. "Special agent Supergirl, stationed in National City, clearance level A."

Maggie heard the shuffle of heavy combat boots, and a gun safety being clicked off. "We didn't receive word of your coming. What is your security code?"

"Kilo one-niner three, Delta five-zero-seven. Sorry I came by unannounced. We're here to talk to the Magh'rah prisoner."

"Who is 'we'?" Came the same, suspicious, deep voice. Maggie assumed this was her cue, as she walked through the door with her badge raised. "Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD science division."

"You brought a local cop into a secure DEO facility?!" The man, that Maggie now recognized as a guy that _had_ to be a navy seal based on how he was built, glared at Kara. But the blonde didn't back down. "She's here about his involvement in the Montana case. Officer Sawyer has level C clearance at the DEO, she's been on black ops before."

When the man still didn't seem convinced, Kara sighed. "Look, I'll fly to National City _right now_ , and get you the biggest hot dog I can find, Sam."

The man – Sam? – looked up, and to Maggie's surprise, his face cracked wide open in a grin. "Extra mustard, no pickles?"

"Don't I know it. I'll be right back, alright?"

Sam nodded, as Kara winked at Maggie before shooting up, away from the facility. Now left alone with her, Sam sighed. "Look, sorry if I'm breathing down your neck here, but this facility was built especially for detaining and holding shapeshifters. So you can't blame us for being suspicious. Science division, right?"

Maggie nodded, as Sam guided her through the corridors of the facility.

"One of my buddies used to work science, but they transferred him to Metropolis. Tough job. It's a good thing you guys are doing, keeping both humans and aliens safe from danger."

Maggie was touched. She didn't picture this incredibly tough man, working at undoubtedly one of the hardest facilities of the DEO, seeing eye to eye with her on alien matters.

Sam stopped at a panel in the wall nearby. "We get paranoid up in here, so we try our best to do as many safety checks as we can." He motioned towards the panel. "Can you press your hand up against it?"

Maggie nodded, and complied. The screen lit up white for a second, as she felt a slight pressure on her fingertips. Then, it lit green, and Sam continued his route as if nothing happened. "That's a DNA check. Just to make sure you're actually human. Like I said, safety regulations."

She didn't mind at all, but was eager to get to business. "How has the Magh'rah been behaving?"

"Well, he's not too happy that he got locked up. Asks for a lot of stuff, and spews that acid around wherever he can."

Maggie winced at the memory, as she felt her shoulder tingle.

"… But all in all, he's been behaving. He's stuck in one form though. Or maybe he just won't change back for whatever reason." Sam stopped at a door. "Here's the interrogation room. Sometimes agents come in here to ask those guys questions. Now, because each species is different, we can't control their shapeshifting. He might change into whatever form that scares you. So there is a reinforced glass wall. They can look but they can't touch. Clear?"

"Crystal." Maggie replied. She really just wanted to get it over with. "Are there cameras or microphones?"

"Passively, yes. We register everything for record's sake, but there's nobody listening in to you. DEO cases are usually classified, and we're trained not to ask questions. You get five minutes. Wait there, I'll tell someone to go get the alien."

A whoosh behind her told her that Kara was back, undoubtedly carrying a huge hotdog in her hands, but she ignored it and opened the door, getting inside the room.

All the walls and floors were made of metal. Probably some form of titanium that could withstand about anything those aliens threw at it. Her part of the room was the biggest. Complete with a comfortable chair and a desk. The latter had a red knob on the inside, probably a panic button.

The other side of the room just had a chair, and rings on the ground used to hold the chains of the handcuffs.

Maggie took a deep breath. She had five minutes to ask him everything she knew about the case. No lingering on what happened, no revisiting. Just the case.

The door on the other side of the room opened, and the first sight Maggie was met with was Laurent. Shuffling inside slowly, cuffs on his hands.

Maggie and Alex hadn't visited him at the hospital. They hadn't been able to, and honestly – Maggie hadn't felt the need to. She just knew that the man had stabilized and was out of mortal danger. But seeing him break into a wide grin at the sight of her made her insides clench.

The guard dropped him down into the chair, and bound him. The alien followed willingly, but only had eyes for her. Once the guard was out of the room, he finally made a first sound. A laugh.

" _Maggie_." The detective hated the way her name fell off his lips. "I've been waiting for either of you to come back."

"I'm not here to talk about what you did to me." She was cool. She'd stared into the face of murderers, rapists and much worse numerous times before. This wasn't any different. She was detective Sawyer now. "I'm here to talk about September of 2012."

"You look better."

Maggie ignored him. "Four women were murdered in National City. I know you had something to do with it."

The Magh'rah tilted his head. "Why would I tell you?"

"For starters, you might be locked up in here for life if you don't."

He guffawed, which only made Maggie's blood boil faster. "I have been on this planet since before your ancestors were here. What makes you think that one human lifetime will teach me?"

"Your species is peaceful. Are you really willing to give that entire name up just because you had a crush on a girl?"

It was out of her mouth before she realized it, but it didn't appear to be the best move. The Magh'rah's face changed from cunning and smiling, to absolute rage. His fists were trembling. A vein in Laurent's neck seemed ready to pop.

 _She_ was in control now.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I say something wrong? Did you _not_ ruin our lives just because we were standing in the way of you and your impossible love for a woman that doesn't know you exist and will _never_ do anything but hate you?!"

"SHUT UP!" The Magh'rah jumped up. To Maggie's surprise, the chains were long enough that he could move up from the chair and lean against the glass separating them. Maggie got up from her own chair, and crossed her arms, seemingly unimpressed. "Tell me what you know about the murders in September 2012."

The alien took a deep breath, and tilted its neck, cracking it.

The next time Maggie blinked, her heart dropped. Because where the alien had stood, was now a burnt and shaking figure.

Finley.

Maggie actually laughed this time. It was an immediate reaction to the feeling of wanting to throw up, but she didn't want to give the alien the pleasure of watching how much it had shocked her. She'd prepared herself for this. She knew he was going to do it.

"Did you kill those four women?"

"H-help me…" Finley croaked weakly. And Maggie got annoyed. Her time was running out, and she didn't have anything yet. He was toying with her.

Drastic measures it was.

"Laurent is dead!" She yelled. The alien stopped moving immediately, and morphed back into Laurent, his eyes wide.

She raised an eyebrow, and continued. "He died because of the gunshot. Dead and buried. And Alice is here in National City, and she has nobody left."

That got his attention. And Maggie chuckled humorlessly. "Those women. What happened to them?"

The alien shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm only here to write books."

"Books about things you know. Things you did." Maggie corrected him, hissing through her teeth. "You've probably murdered dozens. You killed Alice's girlfriend. You almost killed Alice."

"I would _never_ hurt Alice!" He yelled, shaking his chains in his rage. "I _love_ her!"

"Tell me what you know about the case, and I'll let you see her."

The alien was now breathing heavily, as he stared up to meet Maggie's eyes, his frame trembling. "Here?"

"I give you my word. She'll come and visit you."

He looked down at his own feet, and took a deep breath."I did not touch those women you're talking about. I've only been in National City to spend time with Alice."

Maggie closed her eyes briefly, as she didn't want to think about what that meant.

"A cop is dead. Killed because he was too close to discovering a case that _you_ had something to do with."

"I didn't have _anything_ to do with it. I don't kill if I don't need to."

A snark about Alex having been on the brink of death was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. Instead, she looked up into his eyes one more time. "Final answer?"

He clenched his jaw. And Maggie chuckled. "Suit yourself."

As she moved towards the door, she heard a shuffle behind her. "Wait! Wait!"

She made a point of turning around as slowly as possible, crossing her arms once again. "What?"

"How were they murdered?"

"Poisoned. And it's likely that the killer was also a shapeshifter."

The Magh'rah thought for a second. "I have heard of an alien in National City. Sells their own body toxins for a profit. It's a drug that makes people high, but even the slightest overdose can be lethal. They might be a shapeshifter."

"I need a name." Maggie narrowed her eyes. He could be lying straight to her face, just to save his own skin.

He shook his head. "I only know the name she goes by. Scarlet. Her poison is bright red, she sells it in capsules. That's the only thing I know."

Maggie nodded, and turned back to leave.

"Hey! What about Alice?" He yelled at her.

Maggie turned her head one more time. "I'll make sure she sends you a Father's Day card."

"No! WAIT!"

She ignored him, slamming the door shut behind her. Immediately, she was bombarded with questions from Kara. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Did he talk? Do you-…"

Maggie raised her hand. "Just… Take me back, please. Thank you for coming here with me."

She glanced up to see Sam looking at her, hands on his hips in a stance that was so like Alex that it actually warmed Maggie's heart. Though the bit of mustard on his nose that Kara presumably hadn't told him about made her chuckle. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. Send my regards to agent Danvers. It's been too long since I've kicked her ass at pool."

"I know the feeling." Maggie laughed.

After being escorted back to the exit, and thanking the man once again, Kara flew Maggie back to National City, dropping her off at the DEO balcony.

"Did you get what you went for?" Was the only thing Kara said as she looked ready to head back to patrolling.

Maggie nodded, looking her future sister-in-law in the eyes. "Yeah. I think I did."

"Good. If you need anything, call me. And tell Alex I'll swing by the apartment tonight."

Maggie watched her launch up into the sky, and headed back towards Alex's lab.

Just in time to see the engineer – Milo, she remembered – widen his eyes as he saw her approach. "Detective Sawyer, thank _god_!"

He appeared in a panic as he ran towards her.

When he got close enough, Maggie saw the blood spattered on his lab coat.

"It's Alex." He whispered.

Her heart stopped.


	9. Chapter 9

Maggie couldn't breathe. She felt as if her throat had been closed off.

And if Milo wasn't going to tell her _this instant_ whatever the hell was wrong, she'd shove his face against the nearest wall and _make him._

"The surgery went well…!" He said quickly, raising his hands. "We attached the leg, and inserted the implant, but something is wrong with the connection, we can't get her to move it."

Maggie nodded slowly, waiting for him to continue. Milo hesitated. "Look, she didn't want to admit it, but she was kind of assuming that everything would go well… She's just… It's…" He sighed. "She needs you right now, detective."

She took a deep breath. The two seconds of silence before his explanation had been absolute horror, and she had to take another few breaths to convince herself that _Alex was okay._

"We didn't know where you were, you weren't in her lab." He continued. "So we couldn't tell her where you went to, and she didn't take that too well."

 _Shit_. Well, so much for being back in time.

Milo guided her into the med bay, where the first thing she saw was Alex, lying down on one of the beds, sleeping. A blanket was draped over her body, stopping at her torso, and her head was wrapped in a bandage.

"We had to sedate her." Milo winced, stopping in the doorway. "She had a panic attack, and she was lashing out. I'm sorry…" He looked down, and sighed. "…It should have worked perfectly, but she wanted it so quickly so we didn't have the time to run the tests…"

"I get it. It's alright." Maggie flashed a quick smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'll stay here with her and talk her through it. How are things looking?"

"We're running diagnostics now, trying to figure out which part is malfunctioning. We can do it from inside the lab, but we brought her here for monitoring, just so be safe. It could take minutes to fix it, or hours. But she has to stay here until we do. And she _can't_ put pressure on the leg, it'll buckle. So no getting up."

Maggie nodded through his instructions, and watched as he ran out of the med bay and back towards the engineering lab. The silence in the room was filled with beeps indicating that at least Alex was stable, and okay, and that the damage wasn't physical.

But Maggie was also sure that with the disappointment, all of the trauma from their dramatic getaway would pour out. All things considered, Alex hadn't shown Maggie _any_ sort of emotion about that night. She'd been keeping a straight face, pretending none of it got to her, but Maggie knew that there had to be a breaking point.

And Alex's had been not even one hour ago.

And despite all the promises and reassuring words of the last weeks, Maggie hadn't been there.

She cursed herself. Dug her fingernails into her palms until she felt blood on her hands, because _she hadn't been there._

As she stared out the glass windows, trying to keep her tears at bay, she wished that she'd waited. That she'd stayed. That she'd considered that her girlfriend was more important than the case.

But Maggie was used to fucking up all the good things in her life. So why should this be any different.

" _Mag_ …" She heard a soft whisper behind her. She turned around to see Alex looking at her with soft, glassy eyes.

Maggie tried her best to compose herself, as she walked over to her fiancées side. "Hey, babe…"

The closer she got, the better of a look she got at Alex's red and bloodshot eyes, her trembling chin, and her uneven breaths. "It… _didn't work_."

It was a statement more than a question, but Alex's voice was shaky and shot up a the end anyway, as if she needed Maggie to confirm what she already knew, but feared to accept. Maggie smiled weakly, and took her hand in her own, kissing the back of it. "Not yet, babe. They're fixing it."

"But…" Alex didn't manage anything else, before she heaved another shaky breath, and started sobbing loudly. Maggie nodded. That was all she could do, as she wrapped Alex into her arms, and held her close to her chest, kissing the top of her head.

She felt her own tears sting, but refused to let them fall once again. She couldn't. She had to be strong for Alex. To show that she was there now, even though it didn't matter.

The damage was done, and she knew it.

When Alex had calmed down enough to form a coherent thought, she looked up at her. "W-where w-were you?!"

"I was…" Maggie was about to lie to her again. She didn't _want_ to lie to her. She couldn't tell Alex that she'd gone out to talk to the one thing that had caused this mess. "… I was working the case."

She watched Alex clench her eyes shut, as more tears slipped out and onto her cheeks. And Maggie knew that those were _her_ tears. That she _caused_ those tears to slip down Alex's face. And there was nothing she could do to take it all back.

"Do you… Do you…" Maggie tried twice, but she honestly didn't know what she wanted to ask. _Do you want me to leave? Do you want me to stay?_

She watched Alex let go of her hand to wipe her tears away with it, before the agent cleared her throat. "Could you… uh… Tell Milo that he needs to do an MRI, maybe there is a contact issue with the implant."

"Alex…" Maggie frowned sadly. She could practically see Alex's walls raising up in front of her. "Don't do this, please…"

But the agent ignored her, continuing. "…Maybe it's an issue with the feedback loop, tell him to do sensory tests."

Instead of fighting it, Maggie bowed her head and nodded. The four steps to the doorway were the hardest she'd ever taken in her life.

* * *

After briefing Milo on whatever she had heard over the sound of her own heart breaking, Maggie wandered back to Alex's lab, and shut the door behind her. Seeing the smiling photos of the women staring back at her, she heaved a deep breath, and started taking them all down.

At this point, she didn't even care if the killer would come after her.

She was going to need booze. And a lot of it, too.

She left the case files on Alex's desk and slipped out of the lab, ignoring the questioning looks the few agents she recognized threw her. She went straight for her car, and drove all the way to the dive bar.

The place was pretty much deserted, except for a few aliens playing poker in the corner, and three playing pool. Maggie walked straight to the bar, and took a seat. She didn't recognize the bartender, though she didn't exactly try to make it a habit to come a lot during the day.

"You alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just… Get me a beer, will you."

The man – Maggie assumed he was human – nodded and reached for a bottle, setting it in front of her. She took a big gulp, and shoved it down with a little more force than she intended.

"Woah." The guy laughed. "Don't take it out on the furniture."

"You new here, or something?" Maggie looked up. The guy raised an eyebrow. "Nah, I usually work the early shifts. Not many regulars at nine in the morning. Not ones that I don't have to carry home, at least."

Maggie managed a small smile. He tilted his head. "But I think I've seen you here before. You're that cop, right?"

"I might be." She shrugged, as she took another gulp. "Though not for long, probably. I've only six days left to live, according to recent developments."

"Ooh." He winced. "You're gonna need something a bit stronger than beer, then."

Maggie looked up. "Got something in mind?"

The guy shrugged, turning around to face his array of bottles. "Well, I could fetch you some alien cocktail, but that would be playing Russian roulette with your insides…" He turned around with a frown. "I got some good ol' fashioned whiskey too. Or…" His eyes lit up. "How about something to forget your troubles entirely for the night?"

The detective sighed. "Hit me. I'm just about ready to fling myself in front of traffic anyway."

He looked around to check if anybody was paying attention to them, and leaned forward on the surface of the bar. "… There's a couple of alien dealers that come by here sometimes to sell some of their stuff. Great quality too. Makes you high for one amazing night, and you wake up with almost no side effects. Far better than that human stuff."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "What do you have?"

"Whatever you want. Inferno, Narc, Tox… Name it."

She hesitated, before leaning even closer. "Do you have some of Scarlet's stuff?"

"Ooh, good taste." The guy threw down the dishtowel from his shoulder. "A woman of quality, I see. Scarlet only comes by once every week, and her stuff is usually sold out an hour after she's gone, but I saved some for myself yesterday."

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a ziploc bag filled with a single, red-filled capsule. He smiled up at her. "Here. Have it."

Maggie watched him put it down on the counter. "How much do I owe you?"

"You look like you could use it. It's on the house." He smiled sadly. "Just… Don't tell anyone, or everyone will want to get in on it."

Maggie laughed weakly, as she pulled the capsule out of the Ziploc. "She comes by once every week?"

"Every Friday."

It raised a red flag in her mind again. She had to chase the lead. Talk to the bartender some more, get more information out of him. What was Scarlet like, did he know her name, who were her clients…

Instead, all she could think about was Alex. And how much pain she'd caused her.

How far she was willing to go to pretend that none of it happened, to feel safe in the agent's arms again.

So without a second thought, she brought the capsule to her mouth, and swallowed it. The bartender laughed. "There you go. Now, wait for the magic to happen."

"How long does it t-…" Maggie cut herself off, as she hadn't even finished her sentence before she became incredibly lightheaded. She reached around her, a smirk settling on her face. "Woah… w-where are we?"

"It works best on humans!" The bartender smirked. "Slower metabolism and all that. Just relax. Don't fight it. Enjoy the ride!"

Maggie jumped off the barstool, swaying slightly, but giggled as she managed to keep her footing. "'M gonna… 'M gonna go to Alex… Back to _Alex_."

"Just don't drive!" The guy yelled after her, but she was too far gone. She exited the bar, and walked back to her car, unlocking it with a beep. "Alex… 'm _coming_ , babe… _Hold on._ I'm gonna… _fix this_ , fix _you_ , babe."

She pressed down on the gas pedal, and almost hit a trashcan when she backed out of her parking space. But the thought of Alex smiling up at her, pressing her forehead against her and moaning her name… Lying in bed with her, holding her from behind, whispering loving words into her ear…

Maggie giggled, as she raced through the streets, her car swaying wildly, in her haste to get back to the DEO.

When she was only a couple of blocks away, she felt her eyelids becoming heavy. It was hard to keep her head up, and she started to slip away.

Instinctively, she yanked at the steering wheel, sending her car into a spin that drove it off the road, and onto the sidewalk.

With a loud _crash_ , she finally registered that she'd hit something heavy, causing the entire vehicle to halt, and her body to lurch forward into the wheel.

After that, everything went momentarily quiet.

" _Mmhm_ …" She grunted, tilting her head, as she finally managed the effort to open her eyes again. There were voices around her, as she realized that the object that she'd hit was a streetlight, that was now lying in the middle of the road, as her car's bumper had bent it. " _Shit_ …"

"Ma'am?" She heard a voice say next to her. She turned her head to see a civilian looking at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

She didn't have the chance to mutter a weak reply, as a familiar _whoosh_ indicated that she was in a whole lot more trouble.

"Stand back!" She heard the blonde superhero yell, as she pulled the car away from the pole, and bent it back so that it wasn't blocking the road any longer. Then, she turned to the car, and her eyes widened as they met a familiar pair of brown ones.

" _Heeeyyyyy_ …" Maggie dragged out. Kara sped to her side, yanking her door off. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm sorry Alex is mad at me, Kara." Maggie giggled, after that. "Mad… She's _maaad_. I wasn't there when she got her new leg and now the new leg is broken."

Kara frowned at her jumbled explanation. "Maggie, are you drunk?"

" _Noooo_. I only had half a beer. Shh, it's fine. Don't tell the cops."

The blonde was about to make the ridiculous counter-argument that Maggie _was_ , in fact, 'the cops', when a siren flashed through the street, approaching them, and a police cruiser stopped in front of them. Out stepped two uniforms, that nodded politely at her. "Supergirl, ma'am."

"It's okay, sir. I got this." Kara said back. Maggie chuckled again, and the blonde hoped desperately that she'd keep her mouth shut.

But the damage was done, as the other officer frowned. "She looks drunk. Go get a breathalyzer, Jimmy."

"Officer, sir, she's a friend of mine. We work together. She's just suffered a concussion recently. I told her not to drive." Kara said quickly, attempting to defuse the situation. "It's a head injury."

" _No, blondie_!" Maggie yelled back. Kara turned towards her with wide eyes, trying to tell her to shut up. But Maggie didn't get the hint, as she was still too busy laughing. "I'm on _alien drugs_!"

The two officers shared a look, and Kara realized that it was useless. She stepped aside and watched as they pulled Maggie from the crumpled car. And after a quick injury check, they pulled her to her feet and towards the cruiser.

The first officer turned back to her. "Thanks for your help, Supergirl. She'll just have to stay in holding for a night to sleep it off." After that, he turned to his colleague. "DUI's… When will they learn? And in the middle of the day too!"

Kara covered her face with her hand, as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She watched the cruiser drive off, and considered following it, but she was far too concerned about Maggie's explanation about Alex. So instead, she settled on flying back to the DEO.

Maybe somebody there could tell her what the hell was going on.


	10. Chapter 10

"Try it again."

Milo sighed, moving the needle towards her big toe, and pushing it down into the fake skin.

Nothing.

"Again."

"Alex, I really think we should go back to the design of the prosthetic. Maybe-…" Milo tried, but the agent looked up from her spot on the bed and growled. "You checked everything. _I_ double-checked. There is nothing wrong with the prosthetic. _Try. Again_."

Milo raised the needle again, but hesitated. "It could be the transmitter. Can I check it again?"

He waited for Alex's nod of consent, before moving the blanket away from her body and checking the strap around her knee that contained the small transmitting device. Alex studied him closely, as his mouth formed words without sound.

"Oh, hold on…" He narrowed his eyes, reaching for the strap. "Ugh, yes, I see what the problem is."

Alex's heart jumped at that, as she looked up. "What?"

"There's scar tissue here…" Milo said, moving the strap around. But Alex didn't hear the rest of his explanation, because a sudden _twinge_ caused her to instinctively pull her leg back from him.

Her _leg_.

"Oh, well…" Milo stammered, seemingly at a loss for words.

Alex froze, her eyes wide, as she stared down at both of her legs.

Toes wiggling, ankle circling… The sensation was weird and unfamiliar and would definitely take some time getting used to, but… _it worked._

"Milo, I'm seriously going to kiss you."

The man chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "I don't think detective Sawyer would be too pleased about that."

The agent felt her chest tighten at the mention of Maggie, but refused to think about it for now. "Help me up, will you?"

"Hang on." Milo grabbed her hand, and carefully pulled her to the side, so that she was sitting upright on the bed. Now that she saw it up close, it was almost as if nothing had happened. The leg looked scarily real, and it was almost as if she felt her own pulse pump through it.

"Okay, now, hold on to me, don't put too much weight on it at first. Get used to the feeling."

Alex got to her feet slowly, leaning on her left leg. As she looked into Milo's reassuring eyes, she eased her balance to the center, the right leg touching the ground. And before she knew it, she was standing.

"Yeah! There you go!" Milo cheered. "Agent Danvers, back in business!"

Alex felt tears sting at her eyes, and sobbed through a smile as Milo held on to her. "Wanna take a few steps?"

After her quick and eager nod, Milo let go of her waist and arm, and stepped back. Alex took a shaky breath through her tears, and took a careful step in his direction. Then another one. Milo kept stepping back, and Alex kept shuffling towards him. Milo beamed, and kept on cheering her on, as Alex now finally cried.

"You did it! You walked, Alex!" Milo wrapped his arms around her, and Alex fell into his embrace, holding him tightly. "Thank you… So much…"

He let go of her, and eyed her with a raised eyebrow. "Now, I know that you want to get back to the field as soon as possible, but you're gonna walk with that thing for at least another week. Slow build-up, and we'll see from there, alright? Go home for now. We have all the transmitter's info backed up to the DEO server, but if something's wrong, you call me. And come back tomorrow for performance tests!"

After getting the hang of a few more steps so that Milo could see for himself that she was able to walk comfortably, and putting on her pants, Alex _walked_ out of the med bay, reminding herself to take Milo out to dinner for all the hard work he put into getting her to walk again.

She managed three steps out the door, before she froze.

Standing in front of her, with a confused scowl on her face, was her sister.

And she could see Kara's confusion growing at the sight of her. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh…" Alex motioned down to her feet.

It took Kara more time than she'd ever dare to admit, but her brain took long in registering that Alex was in fact standing on two legs. And then, the blonde's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "Alex! You're… What?! I… Your leg!"

Alex laughed weakly, and nodded. "I got a new one."

Kara ran forward, and enveloped her sister in a desperate and loving hug. "I'm so happy for you, oh Rao… Maggie said your leg was broken, I rushed over here…"

Alex pulled back, frowning. "Where did you see Maggie?"

"She- uh…" Kara leaned back and scratched the back of her head. "It's, uh…"

"Kara…?" Alex asked again.

"She told me you were mad at her. But… She wasn't making a whole lot of sense. She crashed her car into a pole, and- _she's fine…_ " Kara added quickly, seeing the look on her sister's face change from confusion to pure worry and panic. "…But she got arrested, they suspect she was driving under influence, and I… I think they were right."

"She… drove while she was drunk?" Alex asked, feeling her blood begin to boil. If there was one thing Maggie had promised her, it was to _always_ call a cab when she'd drank too much. She wouldn't even think about driving drunk.

So Alex thought.

"… No." Kara winced. "Not exactly. I mean, she was definitely on something, but I think she was high. She told me she'd taken alien drugs."

They both knew what that meant. The DEO had been participating in a joint task force to take down alien dealers that sold their own body toxins and poisons as drugs for other aliens. It usually didn't end well for humans, though, and a string of bodies had more than once been the result. But as far as Alex knew, Maggie didn't work the case.

So, instead of being there for her, to help her through the milestone of getting her prosthetic, Maggie had been off getting high somewhere, using the excuse of working her case.

"She lied to me." She whispered, loud enough so that Kara would hear her. After that, she looked her sister in her eyes. "She told me she was working the case."

Kara sighed, finally making sense of the things Maggie had said to her earlier. " _That's_ why she needed to be back in time… Because of you."

"What?"

"I took her to visit the Magh'rah, in the desert facility out east. She told me she wanted to visit him because she needed the closure, but I heard her talking to him about an alien… Someone named Scarlet. She dealt some sort of drug."

Alex looked down at the ground, trying to make sense of it all. And then, all of a sudden, it clicked. Her anger disappeared immediately. Because Maggie wasn't on some bender of alien drugs.

Maggie was _onto something._

"Where is she, Kara? Where did they take her?"

Kara shook her head. "Holding, somewhere. I don't know the precinct."

"I'll find it." Alex growled, walking towards the elevator. Kara seemed torn between telling her sister to wait, and running after her. But seeing the elevator doors close, making her sister disappear, she sighed, still trying to wrap her head around everything.

* * *

Whoever that bartender was, he'd been lying his ass off.

'No side-effects.' That didn't explain why the room was spinning the second she opened her eyes, why her stomach lurched, or why her throat felt like it was on fire.

She moaned, turning her head to the side.

"Wakey, wakey."

Maggie looked up, willing herself to focus on the iron bars that separated her cell from the rest of the room. And she rolled her eyes involuntarily at the sight in front of her.

Leaning casually against the bars, a fake disappointed scowl on his face.

 _Michael Holmes._

"I gotta say, I'm not entirely surprised. You certainly seem like the type to snort a line the second anything goes remotely wrong in your mess of a life, Sawyer."

"What do you want." Maggie grunted, but it came out garbled. Holmes laughed, as he crossed his arms and looked at her. "I do remember I asked you politely to give me your statement as soon as you had the time. Seeing as how you had time for getting high and ramming your car into the sidewalk, I somehow doubt my instructions were clear."

"I don't know anything, Holmes."

"Now, you see, I pitied you when I saw the state your girlfriend was in. I gave you the space you needed to _undoubtedly_ move the stolen case files around – don't bother denying it. So I highly doubt that I'll find them if I come back to your apartment with another warrant. But, being the good guy I am, I'm giving you another chance to come clean."

Maggie finally moved to sit up, feeling the room spin once again. The next thing she was aware of were footsteps, and the squeaking of a door. Holmes must finally be in the cell with her.

"You obviously have something on the case. If you tell me what you know, _right now_ , I'll consider dropping the DUI charge, and getting you back on the force. But if you keep your mouth shut, there's not much I can do for you, Sawyer."

"Right." Maggie raised her eyebrow. Though she felt much too nauseous to be convincing, she couldn't help the biting sarcasm. "And allowing me to keep my driver's license will obviously save my life when that killer comes back for me."

Holmes rubbed at his forehead, and Maggie watched as he seemed to drop his 'bad-cop' charade for a second, shaking his head. "I had a partner like you, you know. Always stubborn, running into danger. Couldn't hold his tongue."

Maggie waited, assuming that his story wasn't going to have a happy end.

"… One day, the both of us were in a shootout with a murderer. He planned a suicide by cop, and my partner was ready to hand it to him. He trapped him in a corner. But the guy changed his mind, drew a gun, and shot him point blank, right through the head. If he'd _listened_ to me, if he'd stayed back and waited for a plan, he would still be alive. And you know what, Sawyer? I fucking _hate_ cops like you. You get yourselves killed, and you don't _think_ or _care_ about what you leave behind."

His words were another punch to the gut. But he didn't leave time to dwell on his story. "Last chance, Sawyer. Tell me what I need to know to catch the guy that's going to kill you. Do it for your girlfriend."

Maggie closed her eyes, and winced. Through the jumbled mess that was her mind, she remembered the events of the day. Alex, needing her. The tears slipping down her face.

She didn't want to think about how much pain Alex would be in if she died.

"Fine." She whispered weakly. "I'll tell you everything I know. Just, promise me one thing?"

Holmes stared at her in anticipation.

"… Make sure she doesn't get to see my body if it happens."

A nod from him, and Maggie realized that she was out of options. She couldn't go on alone. She needed a partner.

And Holmes wasn't the perfect one, but at least he knew his way around. He was as good as anybody.

"I'll get you out of here, and then you're coming with me."

Maggie nodded, as he walked back out of the cell, and moved to the guard at the desk. She saw him flashing his badge, and talking to the man. But the guard seemed less than enthusiastic about letting her go. Holmes huffed, and moved in again, probably trying a different approach that involved a lot of pointing at her.

She got to her feet, and walked over to the bars, holding on to them, and already trying to accept the fact that she was going to have to spend the night in the cell.

After that, a loud banging noise indicated that the door had flown open, and a redheaded figure walked over to the guard's desk, practically shoving Holmes to the side and flashing her badge. "Alex Danvers, FBI."

Maggie finally allowed herself to relax.

She was going home.


	11. Chapter 11

Before Maggie realized it, she was ushered out of the cell and into the evening air outside, followed by an incredibly irritated-looking Holmes, and Alex, who looked ready to murder.

Maggie assumed it was going to be _her_ Alex was going to lash out at.

"I appreciate your cooperation, agent... Danvers, was it?" Holmes opened his mouth to continue without letting her answer, but Alex wasn't in the mood. She flashed her badge at his face again, now close enough for him to see that the badge had shifted into her real, DEO one.

"Agent Danvers, assistant director of the DEO."

Holmes raised an eyebrow, but didn't lose his cool. "Wow, Sawyer. A federal alien hunter for a girl."

Alex tucked her badge away, and folded her arms. " _I_ am taking detective Sawyer in for questioning."

Holmes laughed. "Yeah, no. Not happening. This whole charade you're pulling, I'm not buying it. And as far as I remember, the last time we spoke each other, you were still short one foot, Danvers."

"It's called a prosthetic, detective." Alex stared him down, before continuing. "… I'm taking her back to the DEO."

"If you think I'm going to let her walk after the shit she pulled earlier… Driving under the influence of drugs, and _endangering_ the entirety of the National City population…!"

Alex chuckled humorlessly, before looking back up at him. "I assume you know about the joint force between the NCPD science division and the DEO? Well, actually, I assume you don't. Detective Sawyer has been investigating a new case of alien dealers, and hours ago, she was forced to take alien drugs to maintain her cover. I was overseeing the operation, and everything she did was completely within our operating rights as a government organization."

Holmes opened and shut his mouth a few times. Maggie was completely frozen. Was Alex really ready to give up her own integrity just to get her out of this?

"I'm still taking her in for protection." Holmes argued. "She was directly threatened in a murder case."

"Yeah. The cold case from 2012. I'm well aware." Alex tilted her head. "We received intelligence that the killer is an alien. We have direct orders from the president to take over the investigation."

Holmes' eyes went wide as saucers. "I… _No_ , this isn't a federal case. This is within the NCPD's jurisdiction!"

"Your jurisdiction ends where _I_ say it does." Alex narrowed her eyes at the man. Maggie had to fight off the smirk threatening to take over her face – the exact same words Alex had told her on the tarmac when they first met. "Now, sir, if there's nothing left to complain about, I'd suggest you go to the precinct and get the DEO everything you currently have on the case. I will handle the rest, and make sure that detective Sawyer is safe and protected for the next few days."

As a last move, she handed him a card. "Here's my contact information. If you want an update on the case, be sure to give me a call."

Holmes snatched the card from her hand, and proceeded to rip it apart in front of her eyes. Alex made a point out of sighing deeply, before looking at Maggie. "Let's go."

Maggie didn't dare to look Holmes in the eyes as she followed Alex down the road. When they'd turned a corner and were out of his sight, Alex stopped and looked Maggie in the eyes. "You have a _hell_ of a lot of explaining to do."

"I know. But… _Al_ …" Maggie looked down and laughed. "…Your leg…"

"Yeah. It'll take some time getting used to, but at least I managed the badass entrance."

"That you did."

Alex smiled, and wrapped an arm around Maggie's waist, but pulled away quickly when she saw the other woman flinch. "You okay?!"

"Yeah, don't worry." Maggie managed a weak smile. "Just… Sore. From the impact, probably. And also, I feel like all the hangovers I ever had came back to haunt me."

The agent frowned. "Let's call a cab, and get back to my apartment, alright? You can lay down there, and tell me everything."

"The case files are still at your lab."

"I'll tell Kara to bring them. She promised she'd come by later. Let's just get you home."

The detective nodded, and allowed her fiancée to hail a cab, and guide her into the back seat.

* * *

When Alex was sure that Maggie was comfortable, she took a seat next to her on the couch, and reached for her hand. "Maggie, we've been through so much these past three weeks…"

"I know, Al, I-…"

But Alex raised her other hand, indicating that Maggie should let her finish. "… I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But whatever thing you're doing, whatever you _think_ you're doing, it ends here."

Maggie looked down in shame.

"One more secret, one more _lie_ , and I'm out, Maggie." Alex shook her head. "This is your _life_ we're talking about. I know how much you're used to doing things alone, but you're not alone anymore."

The detective took a deep breath, and pressed her lips together. She had to let Alex finish. And as much as she wanted to cry, she couldn't. Not now.

"… I can't help you if you keep lying to my face. _God_ , Mags, you could have killed yourself getting behind the wheel like that! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Finally, Maggie took this as her cue to answer. "… You were angry at me."

"Yeah, the _fuck_ I was!" Alex shot back. "And your solution to that is getting high somewhere?! Is that how you're going to handle every single time we're fighting?! Because if you are…"

"… I had to try out the effects on humans." Maggie whispered, her eyes closed to avoid seeing Alex's disappointed and angry face. "… I got it from the dive bar. The bartender said that it was harmless to humans. I had to see."

There were _so_ many things wrong with what she just said, and Maggie knew it, but it was the most honest answer she could give her. Alex seemed to realize that too.

"You visited the alien."

"Kara told you?" Maggie laughed dryly. "Yeah. I had to see if he was responsible for the murders. But he wasn't. He just told me about Scarlet, the alien dealer that comes by the bar to sell her drug."

"And?"

Maggie finally looked up at Alex. "And what?"

"How did it feel? Were there any side effects?"

She was completely baffled as to why Alex would ask her the questions, a slight hint of fascination audible in the woman's voice.

"I felt… Really floaty. Almost instantly. I could walk and think, but it just felt like regular LSD."

"Glossing over why you know that…" Alex sighed. "Look, I'm still out of the field for at least another week. And maybe my earlier statements about the DEO were a little bit overblown…"

The pair shared a quick laugh, before Alex went serious again. "… The DEO isn't going to get involved in this, but I am."

Maggie frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, without Holmes breathing down your neck, you have a lot more space to do whatever you do best. And I'm here for you. Every step of the way. We're going to get the guy."

She couldn't do it alone. She needed a partner.

Maggie took a deep breath, and looked her girlfriend in the eyes. "Six days?"

Alex smiled. "Six days is enough."

With another nod, Maggie wrapped her arms around her, ignoring the pain shooting through her body for the relief she felt. Alex was okay, she was okay.

They were going to get through this.

* * *

Maggie had fallen asleep on Alex's couch, and she was wide awake the second she opened her eyes again. The soreness of her muscles, especially her neck where the seatbelt had cut into her skin, was the first thing she was aware of, and she couldn't help the loud groan.

As she turned her head, she saw the painkiller and glass of water sitting on the coffee table. Alex was nowhere in sight, but Maggie was tremendously grateful for the small gesture. She took the painkiller quickly and swallowed it down with a gulp of water, downing the rest of the glass with it.

"Al?" She croaked, assuming that her girlfriend was in her bed- or bathroom. But when she didn't get a reply, Maggie carefully got up from the couch, attempting to stretch the soreness out of her upper body.

On the kitchen aisle, next to the fruit basket, was the pile of case files that Maggie had left at the DEO. The clock on the wall said that it was past nine, so she must have slept for hours.

"Shit…" She cursed to herself. She couldn't waste time to take naps when there was a killer on the loose. Quickly, she flipped open the files again, to see if there was anything she'd missed earlier.

After a few minutes, the apartment door unlocked, and Maggie looked up to see Alex walk in, a bag slung across her shoulder. "Hey, you're up!"

"You should have woken me up." Maggie scowled weakly. "I should have gotten back to work."

"Believe me, you needed it." Alex said, remembering how quickly Maggie had fallen asleep, and how peaceful she looked getting some rest.

"I went to your precinct and talked to Holmes while you were sleeping." She continued, as she pulled the bag away from her, and set it down onto the aisle next to her. "Got his reports, testimonies… Anything that was pulled from the 2012 case too."

"I don't think those testimonies will get us somewhere." Maggie leaned back on the stool, turning to Alex. "Why would the guy kill Ian out of the blue, when all Ian had done was look into the files without any particular interest in them? I mean, not even 24 hours later, he gets a death threat sent to his house, so the killer knew where he lived… None of it makes sense."

Alex folded her arms, and thought. "Either the killer murdered those four women because they meant something, or more were coming and he just stopped because he was forced to."

"But if somebody stopped him, shouldn't that person have turned up dead too?"

"Maybe they were, and they were just never found." Alex sighed. "We've been holding on to the MO. But what if that was just the beginning? If there is an alien involved, it could be going much further than just dumpster killing."

Maggie rubbed at her eyes. Of course. She had largely underestimated how big this case could be. Alex eyed her cautiously. "Why did you think the Magh'rah had something to do with it?"

"Ian had six files. The four Friday night dumpster murders, a narcotics case about a drugged woman, and the Montana case. The alien was the only connection I could see. Shapeshifting, memory wiping, and toxins."

"But he convinced you he had nothing to do with it?"

"The bartender was wrong." Maggie frowned in thought, already a few steps ahead. "He told me there were no human side-effects to the drug, but there clearly were. So either he's lying, and he's involved in some sort of drugging scheme, or I'm the exception to the rule."

Alex knew that the first was far more plausible. "Okay, so alien bar, get to know the bartender."

"Also, check if we can find who Scarlet is, where she deals, what her drug consists of. He claimed it was expensive stuff, so I doubt she's selling it out in the open. She'll have made a fortune."

"I'll check the DEO records, see if I can get information on her. You scout ahead at the bar, see if you can talk to some people, I'll meet you there."

Maggie nodded, meeting Alex for a kiss. "Did Kara come by when I was out?"

"She dropped off the case files. She said to call if something's going south."

Maggie hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

As Alex moved towards the door and reached for the handle, a note slid through the crack below the door, and into the apartment.

The same size, and font, Maggie could tell from a distance.

Before she could even respond, Alex had thrown open the door, pulled her gun, and was running through the hallway, as fast as her new leg would go, in pursuit of whoever the messenger was.

Maggie felt numb, as she walked towards the note, and picked it up.

 _Maggie Sawyer,_

 _She won't be able to see your body if there is no body left to see._

 _Stop looking, or face the consequences._


	12. Chapter 12

Maggie ran towards her door, and looked into the corridor. Both Alex and whoever had dropped the note were nowhere in sight. Her shaking hands still held the paper, as she read through it again.

The only person that could have possibly known about that conversation was Michael. She'd made him promise that Alex wouldn't see her body back in the cell, so it was the only explanation.

But Holmes being the killer? It somehow seemed like a stretch.

However, all things considered. Holmes had access to the evidence room. He could have seen Ian work the case - as they were both homicide detectives, maybe even occasionally partners. Ian would have told him if he knew something. And he'd been on her tail ever since she started figuring it out.

It made so much sense, in retrospect. And Holmes had been there before, so she knew where she and Alex lived.

Instinctively, Maggie ran out of the apartment and down the stairs, until she was on the ground floor. She ran into the street, looking around, but didn't see Alex or Holmes anywhere.

"Shit…" She whispered. She couldn't call for back-up from the NCPD, because she wasn't working the case, and Holmes was. It would be her word against his - and she'd stolen case files, trespassed and crashed her car under influence in the past 24 hours.

Nobody would believe her.

She waited for what felt like hours, until finally Alex appeared again from an alleyway, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily and shaking her head. "He got away."

"It's Holmes." Maggie swallowed thickly. "He's the killer. We need to look for connections between him and those women."

Alex nodded. "What did the note say?"

Maggie hesitated. The crumpled paper in her hands was invisible to Alex, so she could get away with it if she lied. But remembering their earlier conversation, she handed it over anyway. They were partners now.

As Alex read the note, her jaw clenched and she looked up again. "That's against the MO. If he's not going to leave a body, it means he's derailing. So at least we're onto something."

"Yeah, I mean, if it's Holmes, then of course we're onto something. The guy hates my guts, he'd be happy seeing them splattered all over the walls."

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, as they started walking back up the stairs to her apartment. "How do you know it's him?"

"The note. It's referencing a conversation we had when he came to bail me out. He's the only one that could have known about it."

"And what do your instincts tell you?" Alex crossed her arms to listen. She knew that both of their intuitions as law enforcement were usually on point. But Maggie was more involved in the case.

The detective frowned. "I ignored all the signs, but it was right in front of me. It's him."

"Okay. We need the NCPD database for cross-referencing, to find a connection between the victims and Holmes, then. Can you get to a computer?"

They entered the apartment again. "I can get to my desk. They're going to ask questions, because I'm not supposed to be there, but I'll make it work."

"I'll go to the bar and get info on Scarlet." Alex sighed, rummaging through her drawer to finally find what she was looking for: earpieces. She handed one to Maggie, and activated her own. "I'm dropping you off at the precinct, but I want you to check in every five minutes. If I don't hear anything, I'm coming immediately."

After making sure that they had everything they needed, and taking photographs of the case files so they both had back-ups, the pair left the apartment once again.

* * *

"Sawyer?" The receptionist seemed genuinely surprised to see her. Maggie smiled weakly as she walked in. "Yeah. I just forgot some stuff at my desk that I have to come pick up."

"Cooper won't be happy to hear that. He's got uniforms at your apartment, but I heard someone say that you haven't been there since he did."

Maggie shook her head. "I have a lot of stuff on my mind. I can't just sit at home, my fiancée is recovering from surgery, and I need to be there for her."

The receptionist nodded solemnly. "Give her my best wishes, then."

After a grateful nod, Maggie disappeared into the elevator, looking at her watch and tapping the earpiece. "Check in, time 10.03. I'm in the elevator."

"I just got to the bar." Was the almost immediate reply. "Remember: if you see Holmes, you get out. The last thing we need is to give him another reason to make a scene."

Maggie confirmed, before disconnecting once again as the elevator doors opened. Thank god it was past working hours, and the few scattered working officers and detectives didn't pay attention to her. Cooper was probably home too, so at least she'd have space to work.

Instead of heading into the bullpen, she walked over to the science division's meeting room. She knew there was a computer there, and the on-call detective wouldn't be around as they would be patrolling.

She locked the door behind her, drew the blinds so that nobody would see her, and got to work. Brittany Armstrong, Caroline Woodson, Ella Sands, Florence Bates.

Hospital, stripper bar, school zone, restaurant. If she could prove that Holmes had been there at the times of their disappearances, she had a case.

Though it was an analyst's work, and someone trained could have done a much faster job, it didn't take her too long to get something interesting.

Holmes had a 22-year old daughter. She was 17 at the time of the murders, the same age as Ella Sands, the third victim. And the records showed that they were attending the same high school.

A tangible piece of evidence. Not enough to build a case, but enough to go on. To get a link with the stripper bar, she needed to head over there and check if anybody recognized Holmes as a client. But the first and fourth victim were a mystery. Though those two would be the most interesting ones.

The start, and the finish.

"Maggie?" Alex's voice came in her earpiece. She cursed, as she'd already forgotten to check in, too focused on the screen in front of her. "Sorry, I'm here. I'm working the database."

"You said that you met the bartender?"

"This afternoon, but he only works early shifts. Caucasian, brown hair, around 25."

A beat of silence. "Yeah, he's here, working."

Maggie frowned. "That's odd. Can you get something out of him?"

"I'll try. I've asked around, but so far I haven't really gotten anything. As soon as I mention Scarlet, their eyes light up. So I assume it's expensive stuff, and very much in demand."

"The bartender gave it to me for free… If it's really that expensive, then either he was really into me, or he gave me a fake."

"Which would explain a lot about the side-effects too." Alex grunted. "Alright. Keep me posted."

"Same."

After that, Maggie went back to work, trying to determine if Holmes' daughter and Ella Sands had anything to go on.

* * *

"A beer, please." Alex tapped the bar, as she took a seat. The bartender eyed her, and grabbed a bottle. "Haven't seen you around."

"I try not to come here too often. You know, I'm human. That would kinda defeat the purpose of this bar."

The bartender tilted his head. "Plenty of humans come here. They allowed _me_ to work here. It's fine. Don't worry about it, just come to have a good time."

"Mhm…" Alex grunted, looking around suspiciously. "Still though. I heard there are cops around here."

He laughed. "The only cop I've ever seen around here is that detective chick, and at least she's kinda nice. Doesn't arrest too many people, doesn't break too many fingers." He seemed to think about it. "Well, _her_ , and that one guy that always comes in early."

Interesting.

Alex tried to look casual about it. "What, he's an alcoholic or something?"

The guy laughed, shaking his head. "Wouldn't be surprised."

She waited for him to continue, but that seemed like all he wanted to say on the matter. Well, of course, if he really was part of some alien drug scheme, he wouldn't exactly talk about it with any bar patron in the room.

But if Holmes really came in to buy alien drugs, that was another piece of the puzzle. One step closer to figuring out the truth.

She considered her options. Sending somebody undercover to catch him buying would at _least_ discredit him. But it wasn't enough.

Plan B it was.

She looked around casually, while absent-mindedly scratching her lower arm. Over, and over, until finally, the bartender caught what she was doing. "You alright?"

Alex looked up at him, quickly stopping the scratching. "Yeah, sorry, don't worry about it."

He raised an eyebrow, eyeing her. "You need a fix?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to look caught. "I… I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're scratching your wrist. That means you're hooked on something."

Alex shushed him quickly, looking around to see if anybody heard him. _Perfect. He was falling for it._

He only seemed more intrigued by her erratic behavior. "Probably Inferno, right? Yeah, that shit makes your skin burn until you get a new dose."

It's a good thing she'd read the memos of the alien drug investigation.

She knew reading CC'ed emails would one day turn out in her favor.

"Stop talking unless you've got some." She hissed at him.

He laughed. "Sorry, sweetheart. All out. But the guy should come back tomorrow morning with new stuff, if you can make it back."

"I can't wait until morning. I need it _now_." She grunted.

"20 bucks, and I'll tell you where you can find him."

She didn't hesitate in slapping a 50 dollar bill on the table. "I was never here, we didn't talk about this."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself, sweetheart. You'll find him on the corner of Broadway and Seventh. A diner. 6 feet, suit, briefcase."

Alex nodded; finishing her beer and getting up.

As she walked out, she tapped the earpiece subtly. "Maggie? I have something."

"Talk to me." Maggie said, as she leaned backwards. Researching both teenage girls on the internet had made her conclude that they did in fact know each other, went to the same parties and had a few classes together, but she didn't see any indication that they were fighting, or that something dramatic had happened between the two of them, causing her father to snap.

"Corner of Broadway and Seventh. I'm meeting one of the dealers. According to the bartender, there's another cop coming into the bar early mornings to get drugs. It might be Holmes. I'm going to get the dealer to give up the name."

"Alex, those guys don't fuck around…" Maggie frowned. "I'm coming with you."

"No, it's fine. I have it under control. And if something goes wrong, I'll call Kara. But you need to get more evidence."

Maggie grunted, but eventually gave in. "Fine. Just… Be careful, please."

"Do you have anything?"

"The youngest victim and Holmes' daughter were friends from school. But so far it could still be a coincidence. I'll keep looking."

"Got it. I'll check in when I'm at the diner."

Maggie sighed, and grabbed the phone next to the computer, dialing the number now showing on her screen. She waited for the click.

"... National City General Hospital."

"Good evening. Sorry to bother you at this hour. Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD. I need some records checked."

"Let's see…" Maggie heard a few keyboard keys being clicked. "... What are you looking for?"

"I'm just doing some administrative work, and I see that one of our detectives, Michael Holmes, was admitted in September 2012. The rest of the report seems to be missing. Could you maybe send it to me?"

Another minute of waiting, the silence filled with keyboard strokes. "Hmm… No, I'm sorry. I don't see any record of a Michael Holmes being admitted around that time."

Maggie closed her eyes, improvising quickly. "What about his daughter, Rose Holmes? I'm sorry, the record is incomplete so I'm grasping at straws here…"

A strategic move. Asking for sympathy. It seemed to work, as the woman on the other side of the line laughed weakly. "It's late for everybody, detective. I understand… Well, there is a record of a Rose Holmes here, but she was just brought in for a physical exam. That's about all the information I can give you over the phone."

"I'll just mark it down as irrelevant for the insurance, then. The date on the form says Friday September 7th, 2012. Could you just tell me if that's right?"

"It was actually Thursday the 6th." The woman replied.

"Okay. Thank you so much, sorry again for bothering you. Have a good night, ma'am."

Maggie grunted as soon as she put the phone down. A vague physical exam couldn't possibly connect a trauma nurse to Holmes.

Back to square one.

She hoped Alex had more luck.

* * *

Alex took off her helmet, and tucked it underneath her arm as she headed into the diner. She checked in with Maggie quickly, but her girlfriend's answers were curt. She imagined Maggie must be getting frustrated with the lack of information.

Alex herself had never done a case like this. She was part of a black ops team, that did crisis management, secured the threat, pulled it out of the situation and then disappeared without a trace to the layman's eye. The DEO didn't handle cases that happened five years ago. She was used to having witnesses on the spot, that told her instantly what was going on.

But now, with the inability to even start interviewing witnesses about details of events from years ago, the meager evidence they had would fall apart the second it stopped making sense.

She had to focus on what was in front of her right now. Connecting Holmes to the alien drug network.

Another step, and she entered the diner, nodding politely at the waitress and looking around. There was a couple of teenagers staring longingly into each other's eyes, an old man was reading the paper and drinking from a cup of coffee.

And in the corner, on his laptop, sat a businessman. A briefcase in the booth next to him. He looked human enough to blend into the crowd. Probably necessary, for the business he was doing.

She walked over to him, and plopped down into the booth facing him. "You have something I need."

He looked at her, over the top of his laptop, and raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that."

Alex beckoned the waitress, and smiled. "Can we both get an iced water, please?"

As the woman walked off, she noticed how the businessman had shifted in his seat. She turned to him. "What's wrong? You don't like ice?"

He continued to stare her down.

"Sensitive teeth?" Alex smirked. "Or maybe you don't like ice because you're _Infernian_?"

The alien reached for his laptop and moved up to leave, but Alex reached forward and slammed the lid shut forcefully. He finally sighed. "What do you want? I'm all out for today."

"I want a name."

"I don't have a name."

Alex scowled. "Not yours. I couldn't care less about you, and the things you do... I'm looking for one of your clients. Male. Comes in to the bar to get your stuff. A cop."

"My business revolves around anonymity." He smirked up at her. "I value my client's privacy. It's not my place to ask questions."

"But it _is_ mine. So if you want to keep running your little business, I'd suggest you cooperate. Before I am forced to activate that tracker I just put on your laptop, and tell my friends about you. Then we'll see how long it takes before there's a nice black van waiting for you on the corner."

The Infernian seemed struck, but didn't back down. "I'm not giving you any names."

"Why do you care? He's one customer. You have fifty others that pay the same money, and another fifty ready to take his place. I'm not asking you to give up your business. I need. his. name."

The alien hesitated. "Look, he's a cop. If he knows I told you, he'll come after me with the same threats."

"I can protect you."

He laughed. "Sure. Until you walk out of here with what you need. Then you couldn't care less about what happens to me."

"Well, you _are_ in violation of the law by dealing illegally, so I guess you shouldn't be judging me too hard for not caring." Alex tilted her head. "Guess you have nothing to lose then. It's him or me. Roll the dice."

The Infernian sighed, looking away. After a few seconds, he finally opened his mouth. "Cooper. Rick Cooper."

Alex's stomach sank. But she tried not to let it show, as she got up, and walked out of the diner without another word, or look back.

"Maggie." She said into her earpiece as soon as she was outside. "It's not Holmes. It's your boss, Cooper."

Her girlfriend sighed in defeat on the other side. "I'm stuck. We'll pick it up tomorrow, I'll meet you home."

Maggie got up, switched off the computer and went over her notes as she yanked the earpiece out of her ear and tucked it into her pocket. She couldn't pin Holmes at any of the locations. And now that she heard that he wasn't into the alien drugs, they were further away from an answer than they were before. But the clock was ticking, and Maggie knew it.

She took the elevator down into the lobby, and was saying goodbye to the receptionist, when she heard her name being called. She looked up to see a familiar face running towards her from the door.

"Hayden." She frowned, completely surprised to see Ian's oldest son at the precinct. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you, Maggie." He looked serious. "Alone."

"Alright… Well, I was on my way home, you can come with me, if you-..."

Hayden interrupted her quickly, shaking his head. "Can we head to my car? I'll drive us somewhere."

"...Sure." Maggie nodded slowly, smiling politely at the receptionist once again, before walking out of the precinct, and towards Hayden's car.

She got into the passenger seat, and shut her door as she put on her seatbelt. Hayden looked around, before getting in the car and starting the engine.

Maggie didn't hear him lock the doors.


	13. Chapter 13

"How have you been?" Maggie asked carefully, as Hayden had driven off into National City. She saw the sadness and fear in his eyes – obviously he was terrified.

Maybe he was scared they were coming after him next.

"Mom and dad are dead." Hayden whispered. "My sister lives in Australia, she took the first flight here but she'll only be here in a few hours. Maggie, I… I don't know what's going on."

"I'm looking into it, Hayden." Maggie nodded. "I'm going to get the bastard that did this to your parents."

"How am I supposed to tell my son that his grandparents were murdered? What did my mother have to do with it?!" Hayden covered his face with his hand. Maggie felt her heart clench – she'd crashed a car already today, she didn't need a do-over. "The road, Hayden. Focus."

When she saw that he'd at least kind of calmed down, she heaved a deep breath. "They're after me too. Whoever is doing it. So it must mean that we're onto something. Hayden, have you ever been on your father's boat when he wasn't around?"

"He told me to never go there."

"He's been working his cases there. Maybe your mother stumbled upon them and found them, that's why she had to be killed."

"Maggie…" Hayden turned down a road that headed to a much shadier part of town. She knew that Hayden lived in a nice apartment uptown, and that he was doing pretty good for himself. But seeing him now in the disheveled and crumpled state of grief and fear, it was hard to picture him a proud businessman. "… Something happened."

He pulled over the car with a jolt, and stopped the engine as he turned to her. "You need to believe me. Nobody else will."

"I do believe you, Hayden… W-what is it?" Maggie frowned.

The man ran a hand through his blonde hair. "I… I went inside my parents' house when they found my mother… I was looking for the gunsafe because they asked me to grab the firearm, and I found _this_ inside."

He reached into the glove compartment, and pulled out a ziploc.

Maggie's stomach turned.

Four pieces of jewelry. A ring, two necklaces, and a set of earrings.

It didn't take the detective she was to figure out who they had belonged to.

Why did Ian have those crucial pieces of evidence?

"I can't go anywhere with this, they'll think my dad killed those women."

A thought struck Maggie.

 _How did Hayden know about those murders, if he claimed he knew nothing about what his father was up to?_

She instinctively moved closer to the door, but jolted as Hayden started the car once again, driving off. "Where are we going?!"

"My wife has a gallery on Pico. We can talk there."

Why he didn't just drop her off at home, or go to talk at his place was beyond her.

But she knew better than to ask questions, especially when Hayden seemed terrified and paranoid. A dangerous combination for her to make a wrong move.

About a minute later, he pulled up to the sidewalk, and stopped the car. "It's just up ahead."

Maggie vaguely recognized the place, but she couldn't put her finger on where she'd seen it. She tried to get out of the car, but found the door to be locked.

"Uh… A little help?"

"Oh, right, sorry. Child lock, my son can be a real pain in the ass sometimes." Hayden smiled weakly as he got out, and pulled her door open from the outside. She got to her feet, and they walked over to the entrance of the gallery. It was late, but there was still a light on. Hayden unlocked the door with his key, and allowed her to go first.

"Babe?"

A voice came from the other side of the gallery, as Maggie looked around. The paintings felt very raw and emotional, though they were mostly abstract. Hayden walked behind the counter. "It's me, Jade."

The door behind the counter opened, and a woman appeared into the gallery.

"Maggie? What are you doing here?!"

Maggie frowned as she stared down a familiar face. She _knew_ Jade. Jade was a friend of hers that she liked to hang out with at the alien bar, she didn't even know she was Ian's daughter-in-law. She was pretty sure a drunk evening a few months ago had led to them making out at some point, so her being married was a shock in general.

"Jade? Hi!" Maggie laughed, as Jade walked up from behind the counter.

"I was just wrapping up, Hayden. I told you I was coming home in a sec?"

"Yeah, this is… Unrelated. Maggie and I need a place to talk."

"And you couldn't do that… anywhere else?" Jade frowned. To be fair, Maggie felt the exact same way. She was as confused at Hayden's behavior as the other woman was.

"Don't worry about it." Was Hayden's reply.

Not good enough for either of them, but Jade at least seemed to give in. "Alright… I guess I'll see you at home then. Lock up behind you. It was nice to see you, Maggie."

Jade moved forward towards her, and winked. A quick glance behind her, and she leaned in, and _kissed Maggie on the lips_.

To say that the detective was caught off guard was an understatement. She was about to open her mouth and explain that she was in a committed relationship now, but Jade continued without a hitch.

"We should grab a drink soon, give me a call."

After that, she headed out the door, Maggie staring after her in shock.

Hayden waited until he was sure she was gone, and leaned forward, apparently oblivious to the kiss. "I don't want to drag her into it. We have our son, if something happens to me… I couldn't let him grow up without a mother too."

Maggie nodded, understanding the situation completely, as they took a seat on the designer chairs in the corner. "Hayden, if you're sure that your father had nothing to do with it, then why did he have their jewelry?"

"I don't know. But…" He rubbed at his face. "I can't make sense of it. He's not a murderer. He was always trying to see the good in people… He couldn't have ended those women's lives."

"Hayden, could I have some water?" Maggie asked, clearing her throat. "Sorry, I'm just…"

"Yeah, of course." He walked over to the counter, and headed into the door. Maggie reached for her new phone that had the photographs of the case files on them. Sure enough, scrolling through the autopsy reports indicated that there was jewelry found on the bodies, and put in the personal belongings.

So Ian must have obtained it at the morgue somehow. But what for?

Was Ian really the killer?

Oh god.

Maybe Holmes had figured out that Ian had killed those woman, and had threatened him to retire from the force after doing such a horrible thing, but when Ian didn't listen, he killed him and was coming for her next.

"I didn't find water, but I got you some coke."

She hadn't heard him come in, and jumped, but tried not to show how much he'd startled her when she accepted the glass. "Thanks."

She took a big gulp, and set the glass down onto the end table. "So, what are you thinking?"

"You're the only one that can help me, Maggie. You know my father is innocent. You're the only one on the force that I can trust."

"Why are you so sure?"

"That… Guy that came in to talk to me after my mother was found dead… The detective. Holmes, I think. There… there was something about him."

Maggie raised an eyebrow, as she felt her head spin. "Holmes? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he was being an asshole. I can't prove anything, but I think he's tapping my phone. Maybe he bugged my apartment and car too, that's why I wanted to come here."

"But why would they tap you if you had nothing to do with it?" Maggie countered. "I mean, if your parents did something bad, or _saw_ something bad, that's o-one thing. B-but…" Maggie felt herself trailing off, and frowned. Her voice slowed, and she felt like her throat was closing.

Her eyes drooped shut involuntarily, and her head bowed down. Shit, was she experiencing some more side effects from that weird knockoff alien drug she'd taken?

"H-Hayden… _h-help me_ …" She moaned weakly, but the words were jumbled. Her vision was getting blurry, and it was becoming hard to breathe.

She could vaguely make out Hayden's shape in front of her, leaning closer towards her. Him calling out her name.

Then, she realized that something was seriously wrong.

 _Had he drugged her?_

The coke…

Of course.

Water wouldn't mask the taste of drugs.

"You... _I_ …" She garbled, before her eyes rolled backwards, and she toppled to the ground.

* * *

When Alex arrived back at her apartment, she frowned to see she was the first one there. The precinct was way closer, so Maggie should have been there by now.

She pressed her earpiece again. "Mags? Are you there?"

No reply. With a grunt, she realized that her girlfriend must have taken it out. She got that the other woman was frustrated, but needing to spend some time alone was highly unnecessary, especially when she knew that Alex was waiting for her.

Or maybe she had discovered something, and was caught up in investigating.

… Or maybe Holmes had found her at the precinct, and she was in trouble.

"Shit…" Alex panicked, reached for her phone and called Maggie, but it went to voicemail immediately, meaning that the phone was switched off. After trying the earpiece again, and concluding that Maggie had gone dark, Alex felt an uneasy feeling settle in her chest.

Her gut told her that something was off about the situation.

Without another thought, she threw the door open again, and raced back to her bike to drive to the precinct.


	14. Chapter 14

"What do you _mean_ she left with someone?" Alex stared at the woman with a struck look on her face.

"I mean she met up with a man she appeared to know, he offered her a ride, and she left with him, agent Danvers." The receptionist tried to talk as slowly as possible, because it was obvious the woman in front of her seemed panicked, to say the least.

Alex's eyes widened as she realized what that meant. From what she'd read on the case files, _that's_ how the killer lured his victims.

"Did… Did he say where they were going?" She tried to stay calm, balling her hands into fists. She couldn't snap at the woman, not when Maggie was missing.

"No, I'm sorry. They just walked out."

"What did he look like?"

"Uh… Late twenties, early thirties? Blonde hair, blue shirt."

Alex nodded anyway. It wasn't much, but at least it was something.

Without another glance, or even a 'thank you', she walked out of the police precinct, and pressed her phone to her ear. "Kara? I need help. Maggie is missing."

It took the blonde all of 30 seconds to land in front of her, cape flying effortlessly behind her, and cracking the concrete underneath her in her haste to land. She looked up, and wrapped her arms around Alex immediately. "What do we know?"

"She went along with a blonde man, they got into a car, he drove her somewhere."

Kara narrowed her eyes and looked around. "…I don't hear her anywhere."

Alex didn't want to think about what that meant.

"I'll fly around, and look for her." Kara nodded quickly. "She can't have gone too far. We'll find her, Alex."

Somehow, her sister's comforting did nothing to calm her down. But watching Kara shoot up into the sky made her take a deep breath, and try Maggie's cellphone again. Maybe there _was_ a reasonable explanation. Maybe it was just a friend of hers, and he dropped her off at home – where Alex currently wasn't.

She walked back to her bike and hopped on, speeding back to her apartment. It was the only place that would make sense for her to stay, without her sister's super hearing or super speed.

The entire ride to her place was spent begging to anything, any _one_ that would listen, to please bring Maggie back home that night. Because the reality of losing her became scarily possible. And after all they'd been through – it couldn't end like this. Not tonight.

After closing the door behind her, she dropped down onto the couch dejectedly. She was powerless. Stuck waiting for Maggie to come home, or for Kara to call her.

And the wait was excruciating. Torturous.

Eventually, she fell asleep, hearing Maggie's ' _I'll meet you home'_ repeated over and over again.

Were it really the last words she'd ever hear from the woman she was going to marry?

* * *

A loud buzzing noise around her made her crack her eyes open tentatively. She grunted against the noise, but it took her brain all of three seconds to catch up with the past evening's events. She shot her hand towards her phone on the coffee table, answering the call. "Kara?!"

"Uhm… Alex?"

The agent's stomach dropped.

"…I'm on my way to your apartment."

 _Oh god._

After a few minutes of restlessness, the curtains waved, and Kara landed into the living room, holding something Alex couldn't see.

As the blonde turned, she raised the object in her hands.

Maggie's badge.

"I found it in the middle of the road. Alex, there's _blood_ on it."

Alex stepped forward slowly, reaching for the badge and examining it closely. There were a few drops, trickled down onto the plastic. Kara looked green, but clenched her lips together as she watched her sister process.

"Where did you find this?"

"Downtown."

Alex looked up. "Bring me to where you found it."

"Alex, it was probably dropped out of a car or something, there's no way you're going to-…"

" _Take. Me. There._ "

Kara complied instantly, taking Alex into her arms and launching her up into the sky.

The concern for Maggie only grew in Alex's mind. It wasn't a fun meetup with a friend anymore. Alex knew that her earlier gut feeling had been right. Something had definitely happened to her.

Kara lost altitude near an almost deserted road, and lowered Alex to the ground. "This is where I found it. It's the road to the power plant. I'll go scan it, maybe there's something else there.

 _Something else._

Of course Kara couldn't say it out loud. Alex didn't blame her.

She watched her sister launch up into the sky once again, and looked around. There weren't any houses, just industrial lots and old buildings. The darkness gave all of it a creepy vibe, but Alex couldn't care less.

Her eyes caught something a few hundred yards down. A figure, appearing out of what looked like a small alleyway. It looked around quickly, but as it saw that Alex was staring at it, it ran in the opposite direction.

" _Shit_ …" Alex cursed, running off after it. Already feeling the pressure on her newly acquired leg start to take its toll. She continued to let out a string of expletives under her breath as she chased into the direction of the figure. But when she almost reached the alleyway, she figured it was useless. Whoever it was, they were long gone by now. And she couldn't give a description to save her life.

She stopped running, and caught her breath with a grunt. Who would run away from a complete stranger on the street if they didn't have something to hide?

Her mind kept telling her it was probably a junkie. Someone shooting up in the alley, or at least someone doing something that wasn't supposed to see the light of day.

But… Just in case…

Alex drew her gun and walked up to the entrance of the alley, already feeling her heart beating out of her chest in anticipation. _It was probably nothing._

She took a few steps inside, and looked around into the pitch black alley. It was hard to see her own feet below her, let alone twenty feet in front of her.

She reached for her phone, and activated the flashlight, shining it through the alley.

Into what she instinctively described as the _cruelest_ homage to Jackson Pollock she'd ever seen in her life.

The entire back wall of the alley was sprayed with spats of blood, dripping down the bricks and pooling at the ground.

Right in front of her, stood a lonely green dumpster. Its lid wide open, and dripping blood.

A small note attached to the metal made her stomach jump.

She began running into the alley, towards the end. The screams in her mind repeating over and over again. _No… no… No, please no…_

She raised her gun, and steeled herself as she peered over the edge of the container.

 _No._

A lonely, blonde-haired man was lying in the dumpster, staring wide-eyed at the sky.

Alex stepped back, feeling bile rising in her throat, and doubling over as she threw up in the corner.

When all that's left was pathetic dry-heaving, she walked back towards the dumpster to read the note attached.

 _She didn't listen._

Alex reached for her cellphone, and dialed Kara's number with shaky fingers, starting over at least three times because she'd missed a key.

"C-come here. Please." After that, she tucked the phone away again, not bothering to wait for a reply.

The man obviously fit the description the receptionist had given her. Early thirties, blonde, a blue, blood-soaked shirt. It was Maggie's companion.

 _But where was Maggie?_

She heard the _whoosh_ of her sister landing behind her, paling at the sight in front of them.

"I-is it…" She heard the blonde's voice filled with tears.

"No." Alex swallowed thickly. "… It's the guy she was with."

"There was nothing at the power plant."

"T-the previous note said that… We would never find her body." Alex took a shaky breath. "I…"

"No, Alex." Kara shook her head, looking up to meet her sister's eyes.

Alex noticed the tears streaming down Kara's face. And that was the trigger for her mind to finally accept that _maybe_ she wasn't going to get Maggie back, at all.

"We're going to find her!" Kara grabbed her sister by the arms. "Alex, we have to keep looking."

But the agent was too far out of it. Hysterical tears started streaming down her face at the thought of losing Maggie for good this time. Kara wrapped her arms around Alex when she felt her sway, and lowered her to the ground, all the while listening to her sister's pathetic sobs. "Please… _god_ , not her… No…"

Whoever it had been, they'd better be ready to meet Supergirl's fury head on.

But for now, the only thing she could do was hold Alex in that alley, surrounded by that _poor_ man's blood, and hoping that Maggie hadn't shared the same fate.


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, Alex woke up with a hollow feeling in her heart.

Her other half, her soulmate. There was a hole inside of her that Maggie had left.

She knew that Kara had been searching the entire night for her, but she hadn't found anything. A little past four in the morning, Kara had obligated Alex to rest her leg from running around all night looking. As much as Alex had protested, Kara hadn't left room for argument, and had promptly dropped her off at her apartment.

Every little thing inside reminded her of Maggie. Her shoes, her clothes, the stuff she'd moved in. Even the plates they'd had dinner on the night before… It felt like an eternity away.

And now, it seemed like she was never going to get her back. The note had been right – she was never going to see Maggie again.

All of their firsts.

She'd never even considered their first goodbye.

Her phone buzzed on her nightstand, and she reached for it lazily. Unless it was Maggie, she honestly didn't want to be bothered.

It turned out to be a text from Kara. _Still nothing. Going to head to Metropolis to get Kal. He can help._

Alex threw her phone across the room in frustration, and rubbed at her eyes, already feeling new tears prick. She _couldn't_ let whoever had done it get away with it.

Old fashioned police-work. She had to think like a cop. Make Maggie proud.

If she could pick up traffic cameras. Get to know the route Maggie and that guy took, maybe she could see what happened. It couldn't have been the guy, because _he_ was lying in a dumpster himself. But then why…

Alex shook her head. Too many questions. Facts first, speculation later. That was rule number one.

She put on a new set of clothes, as efficient as possible with her newly acquired prosthetic, and headed to the street to hop on her bike. _Someone_ at the DEO should be able to help her with the cameras. If she could see where Maggie last went, she could set up…

 _Oh god._

Alex's mouth went dry, and her head spun at the sight in front of her.

Her eyes were fixed on the small alley facing her apartment building. From where she was standing, she could make out a small, rectangular white note attached to the dumpster at the entrance.

Alex lowered her helmet, and felt her heart beat in her chest as she crossed the street and approached the narrow alley.

 _Please no…_

She ripped the note from the dumpster and clutched it in her hands.

 _Alex,_

 _Forgive me._

"What…" Alex whispered to herself. Contrary to the other notes, this one wasn't a direct threat. In fact, it didn't make any sense.

But none of it mattered the second she got a glimpse of dark hair in the dumpster in front of her.

She yanked open the lid, and for the first time since she started out in the field, she _screamed._

 _No…_

Her girlfriend, lying prone on top of the trash, eyes closed and unmoving.

She was close to hyperventilating as she instinctively pulled Maggie's motionless body out of the dumpster, and lowered her to the ground of the alley. The detective was unresponsive and pale, and Alex felt her heart break.

"Maggie… _baby_ , _please_ …" Alex wailed, as she cupped Maggie's face in her hands. "Please… wake up… oh god…"

It took three steadying breaths to slip into something at least _slightly_ resembling Agent-mode, as she reached down to push three fingers into Maggie's neck, looking for a pulse. "Come on, Mags, _please_ …"

She was sure she was going to pass out the second she felt a thumping underneath her fingers.

The instant she felt a pulse, she flipped Maggie over into a recovery position, and checked her for injures. She couldn't see any blood or wounds on her, and that comforted her at least slightly.

She scrambled for her phone, and called her sister. "K-Kara! I f-found her, _please_ , help me, I'm in the alley next to my building."

She heard the blonde heave a shaky breath. "Is she…"

"S-she's alive, please hurry!" Alex threw the phone over her shoulder as she turned back to her girlfriend, pulling her up into her arms. "I love you… I got you, it's okay…"

A weak groan made her pull back and lower Maggie back onto the ground, just in time to see the woman's face scrunch up in pain. " _Ugh…_ "

"I'm here, Mags. I'm here…" Alex grabbed her hand, and brought it up to her forehead.

"A- _Alex_?"

"Yeah." Alex smiled through tears.

"I…" Maggie winced. "W-what happened?"

"I don't know, you left the police station with a friend of yours, and you disappeared."

The detective grunted, and moved to sit up. Alex carefully held her, and watched her intensely as the disoriented woman looked around.

"Where are we?"

Alex carefully rubbed Maggie's back. "In the alley behind my apartment. Maggie, are you okay?"

"Yeah…" The detective nodded quickly. "I'm fine."

Alex wouldn't exactly call lying in a dumpster unconscious completely fine, but decided to humor the other woman, as she watched Maggie frown in confusion. "What is it?"

"I don't… I don't know how I got here."

Alex looked at her seriously. "Let's get you inside, okay? You're freezing."

Maggie got to her feet, and much to Alex's surprise, besides the slight disorientation from stirring back to consciousness, she found her to be pretty much okay.

Why would the killer abduct Maggie and kill the man, only to spare her life despite the obvious threat? None of it made sense.

Before they could exit the alley, Alex heard Kara land behind them, her eyes wide. The blonde looked as surprised to see Maggie standing upright and talking than Alex was. "Maggie!"

"Hey, Little Danvers." The detective smiled weakly, her dimples showing. "How you been?"

"I-…" Kara was taken aback by the comment. "L-looking for you, for the past twelve hours!"

"It's alright, Kara. I'm here, and I feel fine."

Kara didn't exactly seem convinced, and made eye contact with Alex quickly. A brief non-verbal communication between the two sisters – as they'd developed over the years – told Kara not to ask any further questions. It was obvious that Maggie was in some sort of shock.

Instead, Kara pulled both Maggie and Alex into her arms, and flew them straight to the DEO. For once, Alex's couch wouldn't suffice. Maggie needed to be checked over properly, preferably for traces of alien contact.

Alex immediately ran to the cabinets of the med bay and washed her hands before putting on gloves. Kara silently lowered Maggie down onto a gurney, and held her down with an arm on her shoulder.

"Kara, I'm serious. It's fine, I feel fine. Nothing hurts."

The last part was directed at Alex, but the agent knew better than to take her word for it. "Can you x-ray her?"

Kara nodded, and squinted her eyes, scanning Maggie's body. "… Nothing's broken."

"See?" Maggie tried, but Alex ignored it, and took a seat next to the gurney. "Can you take off your shirt?"

Kara excused herself quickly, not wanting to make her future sister-in-law uncomfortable. So Maggie was left with a stern looking Alex, who had a clinically distanced look on her face.

She sighed, as she moved to pull her shirt over her head, leaving her in her bra. Alex frowned as she saw that there were no bruises, cuts or scrapes on her torso anywhere.

"Pants too."

Maggie sighed, before complying. "Al, listen to me. I'm not lying to you, I'm not covering anything up. I'm just telling you – nothing's wrong."

"Alright, then, if everything's fine, what happened last night?" Alex asked, examining her girlfriend's thighs, knees and calves intensely.

"I don't know." Maggie shook her head, closing her eyes. "I only remember bits and pieces… I was… Walking out of the precinct, and Hayden was there."

"Hayden – the blonde guy?" Alex frowned, walking over to one of the cabinets to take out a vacutainer. Maggie nodded. "Yeah, Ian's oldest son. He wanted to talk to me."

Alex froze at hearing that. Ian Hayes' son?

It would explain a lot.

Something had to be wrong with that entire family, for them to be killed off one by one in such a ruthless manner...

The agent moved back and reached for Maggie's arm, tying a tourniquet around her arm. Maggie made a fist quickly – it wasn't her first rodeo, and she didn't want to stand in the way of Alex doing her work, but it still felt like overkill.

"The next thing I remember is… splatters."

Alex stopped moving the needle to look Maggie in the eyes. "Splatters?"

"Yeah…" Maggie frowned. "Something like… paint splatters, all over a wall. It was dark."

"What else do you remember?"

"Nothing… Just-…" Maggie cut herself off as her eyes widened. "Oh god…"

Alex opened her mouth to ask her if she was okay, when Maggie pulled away from the needle and Alex's gentle touch, jumping off the gurney.

"Maggie…" Alex walked around the bed to get to her, but Maggie shied away from her again. "Don't touch me! Oh god… Hayden… He's dead…"

Alex sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, Mags. I…" She honestly didn't know what to say. Maggie seemed to be the epicenter of this entire mess, and everybody that was pulled into it ended up dead.

"No…" Maggie reached for her clothes and pulled them on quickly. Alex got confused at her behavior; it was clear that Maggie remembered something crucial that scared her to death.

Alex decided to risk it, rushing forward and grabbing Maggie's wrist to prevent her from moving away. "Talk to me. Please."

Maggie looked up to meet Alex's eyes, tears in them, as she bit her bottom lip. "A-Al…"

"What is it?" Alex looked at her with soft eyes, pleading silently to let her in.

"I… I remember last night."

The agent waited for her to continue.

Maggie took a shaky breath, staring down at her trembling hands, balling them into fists.

"I… I _killed_ Hayden, Alex. A-and I left him in that dumpster."


	16. Chapter 16

"W-what?!" Alex breathed, completely caught off-guard by Maggie's confession. The detective was breathing heavily, and looking up at her with tear-filled eyes. "I killed him."

"Why don't you sit back down, Maggie… I think you're in shock." Alex tried, but the other woman was having none of it. "No, Alex! It's the truth, I killed him!"

"How? How did you kill him?"

"I… I was holding something… I put it down his throat…" Maggie flinched. "H-he stopped moving after a few seconds, and I… I don't remember anything, Alex! But I killed him!"

"Mags." Alex put a hand on her cheek in a tender gesture. "… Why would you do that? It doesn't make sense. You _didn't_ kill him."

"P-perform a cognitive interview!" Maggie's eyes widened. " _Please_ , make me remember! I want to know what I did!"

"Okay, okay…" Alex seemed at a loss, but Maggie put a hand on her arm. "Do it!"

"Alright, but let's finish checking you up first, okay? I want to make sure that everything's fine."

Maggie took a seat on the bed, biting her thumb as she allowed Alex to get back to work, and watching her draw a few tubes of blood, and putting them in a rack for research.

Alex, in the meantime, was completely baffled by her girlfriend's behavior. Sure, Maggie could have killed the man in self-defense, but she could have never copied the MO so perfectly and not remember it.

Unless, of course, the killer made her do it, and made her forget about it.

In the same way the Magh'rah had wiped Alice's memory back in February.

Alex wasted no time in bringing the blood samples to the lab and telling one of her colleagues to analyze them, before she walked back into the med bay and escorted Maggie into one of the interrogation rooms. It wasn't exactly a cozy environment, but it'd have to do.

"Just so you know, I've never _done_ a cognitive interview before." Alex admitted, taking a seat at the table and reaching for pen and paper in a drawer nearby. "I know _what_ it is, I just…"

Maggie bit her lip and took a shaky breath as she sat down on the chair on the other side of the table.

"But uh…" Alex tried to find an entry point. "Why don't you tell me what happened after you told me you'd leave the precinct?"

"I switched off the computer and went downstairs, and I talked to the receptionist."

"What was it about?"

"Just saying goodbye. And as I was leaving, I heard a voice call out. It was Hayden."

"Hayden Hayes?"

"Yeah." Maggie nodded, her eyes closed.

"What was he wearing?"

"I-uh… Blue. A blue shirt. And jeans. He's a businessman so he usually wears something much more fancy than that."

"And what did he want?"

"He wanted to talk to me in private. I offered him a ride to my apartment, but he wanted me to get in his car."

"Alright." Alex took notes. "And what did that car look like? Can you remember the plate?"

"Black. Maybe a Lexus." Maggie licked her lips. "I didn't pay attention to the tags."

"What did he want to talk about?"

The detective thought for a second, staring up at the ceiling, but then shook her head. "I don't… I don't remember."

Alex tried to think about every possible technique to interview her, to get the information out of her. "Do you remember how he sat? Was he relaxed? Panicked?"

"H-he was agitated." Maggie leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. "Something in the glove compartment, but I…"

Another gentle push. "Mags, where did you drive to? Did you see the roads?"

It took a while for her to answer, her hands stuck in her hair. Alex's concern grew, but she couldn't estimate how far Maggie could go before breaking. Unless she told her to stop, the agent had to keep going.

"A shady part of town. I remember, uh… Seeing a sign… Winston Street."

Alex frowned. Winston was a long way from the precinct. Why would he drive her there?

"Did you get out of the car at some point?"

Maggie heaved a deep breath. "I don't… It's all flashes…"

"Can you tell me what flashes?" It was her last attempt. Alex could see how much Maggie was suffering in trying to access things she clearly didn't remember. And if her brain started creating fake memories from the strain, they'd be even further away from the truth.

"A street sign. A white room. A… A painting… Paintings of a screaming woman… And then shoving something d-down H-Hayden's throat… oh _god_ …" Maggie broke down in sobs. Alex put down the pen, and shoved the paper away. "Okay, we're going to stop, Maggie. It's okay, it's over."

"Please stop…" Maggie whimpered pathetically. "I c-can't…"

"Shhh, I got you." Alex got up, and wrapped her arms around Maggie's trembling form, holding her.

* * *

"How did he make you feel?"

Alex had to take a few moments to think about the answer, looking down at her fingers. She chuckled weakly as she glanced back up to face him. "Terrified. It wasn't so much _him_ as it was the thought of him."

Dr. Fisher nodded slowly. "Obviously, I understand where that fear is coming from. But… can you tell me _how_ it terrified you? What you thought about?"

Alex sighed. "M-my first thoughts were always with Maggie. I knew that she was hiding how much pain she was in. And I didn't want to leave her alone, because I _knew_ that if he'd get her alone, he'd kill her."

"So you were more scared for Maggie's wellbeing than your own?" Fisher looked at her over the rim of his glasses. Alex shrugged. "I suppose, yeah. We were… Away from each other a lot of times. And I… I just kept on thinking that it was the end, you know. Every single time we… That we split up, I thought that it would be the last time I'd ever get to see her again."

Fisher checked his notes, and sat up a big straighter. "What about now? Are you two adapting?"

Alex laughed wetly, and shook her head. "There's no time to adapt. It's even more fucked up than before we began. She pulls me in, and then pushes me back the second after that… And I want to be there for her, I want to _help_ her, but… There's these walls that she put up, and I don't understand why. She can let her guard down with me, she should _know_ that."

"Has she talked to somebody at all about what she's feeling and going through?"

"No." Alex looked down. "She doesn't want to go to therapy. I think it's some sort of emotional trigger for her, she's defensive about it. And she doesn't let me in."

"And other friends? Colleagues?"

Alex took a second to picture Maggie pouring out her feelings to the colleagues that she'd met during precinct events, and the mere thought was ridiculous. Maggie didn't open up, especially not to people that she had to prove her stoicism to. The precinct wasn't a place for feelings. That much Alex knew.

And honestly, the only person she'd ever heard Maggie talk about in a more-than-just-cowokers type of way, was Ian Hayes. And she couldn't exactly go talk to him now. Or anybody from his family.

"She doesn't have anybody but me." Alex whispered, coming to that horrifying realization herself. She _never_ heard Maggie talk about people in any way other than acquaintances or colleagues. She didn't have contact with her family, not even that aunt that she'd mentioned. All of the people they hung out with were Alex's friends.

 _Maggie was alone._

And instead of letting Alex in, as the one person she could tell anything to without judgment, she'd kept her emotions inside, piling them up. And it was only a matter of time until Maggie would break under the pressure.

The prospect of being responsible for first degree murder was a big, horrible step in that direction.

Because from what Maggie had told her, she _had_ had something to do with Hayden's murder. And that brought Alex in a horrible situation.

She'd bluffed to Holmes that the DEO was taking over the investigation, but the DEO couldn't take the case because there was nothing yet that pointed directly to an alien assailant. It was just a serial murder case. Not even J'onn could help her win that war.

But there was still a body in a dumpster. And she couldn't just let Hayes lie there, rotting away, while tangible evidence could be lost.

Evidence, that could possibly point in Maggie's direction.

All of it was too complicated.

"I'm going to talk to her, the next time she's here." Fisher promised, breaking the silence between them. "I won't push her into talking to me, but I'd like to say some things to her. I can't even begin to imagine the pressure she's under, but she has to understand that sweeping things under the rug like that isn't the way to solve the problem."

Alex rubbed at her face tiredly. "Can we stop for today?"

"Of course, Alex." The psychologist got up, and shook her hand. "Next session tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll wait for your text."

After that, she was lead out of the office, and into the DEO hallway, mulling over the things he'd said. Coming to the conclusion that Maggie was truly alone without her was a terrifying thought.

Maybe that's why Maggie was pushing her away – she was scared of losing her too, especially with everything they'd been through in Montana.

That Magh'rah had done anything within its power to destroy their lives, with or without violence. But he'd done all of it out of love. Out of passion, out of his art.

 _His art._

Alex physically stopped in her tracks, as she remembered how she'd figured out the identity of the Magh'rah in that hospital three weeks ago.

' _A friend of Maggie's, from the alien bar. A brilliant artist, could draw and paint things that happened hundreds of years ago from memory. But… she could only do that. Paint from memory.'_

The flashes Maggie remembered.

A white room. Paintings of a screaming woman.

 _How could she have been so blind._

Immediately, she reached for her phone, in the desperate hope that Maggie had already bought a new one. But it went straight to voicemail, and Alex cursed loudly, already running towards the command center barking out orders to assemble a strike team.

She was finally going to get the thing that caused Maggie this much pain.

* * *

Maggie was sitting at her kitchen table, by herself, and sipping from a glass of whiskey in her hand.

All of it was on her now.

Even if there still was a killer out there, now there was blood on her hands too.

She didn't remember _what_ happened, but she knew for sure that she'd killed Hayden Hayes.

Ian's oldest son, his proudest achievement.

The one he'd named his _boat_ after, the son that was making it big in the business world.

The one that would never come home to his wife or infant son ever again.

Her fault.

 _Her fault._

The loud banging on the door barely surprised her. She'd been waiting for them, she knew they were coming.

Her final stop.

What she deserved for taking another human's life by choice.

She walked slowly to the door, glass in hand, and unlocked it.

"Mike." She greeted calmly, seeing Holmes flanked by two uniforms in the hallway.

He flashed his badge once again. _God, did he love doing that._

"Margaret Sawyer, you are under arrest for the murder of Hayden Hayes."

She downed the rest of the glass, putting it down on the closest surface, before raising her hands and turning around.

Her last thought before she was escorted to the police car, was of Alex.

A bittersweet reminder of everything she could've never had.


	17. Chapter 17

A shuffling noise in front of her finally made her look up, as she watched Holmes slide a photograph into her direction.

"This was sent to my department a few hours ago."

Maggie tilted her head to see the picture. It was her, standing in the alley and sticking the note onto the dumpster, the blood splattered all around her. _Of course somebody had seen her._

Holmes eyed her. "So why don't you start at the beginning, and tell me why you murdered Ian."

"I didn't." Maggie replied hoarsely. "I wouldn't hurt Ian."

"But you'd murder his son?" Holmes raised an eyebrow. "Sawyer, you're looking at the rest of your life in a cell, if not worse. I have zero patience left for you and whatever you've been up to, because in my eyes, you're guilty of murdering Ian, his wife _and_ his son, not to mention those four murders in 2012. So you better start talking, before _I_ stop listening."

"I have nothing to tell you, Holmes. I don't remember what happened last night, and I have an alibi for both Ian and Joan's murder."

"Let me guess." Holmes scoffed. "You were with your _girlfriend_ , the DEO agent? The one that claimed to have taken my investigation even though nobody knew about it? Yeah, obviously. I can't prove that she was helping you yet, but believe me, you're _both_ going down for this."

Maggie sighed deeply, shrugging. "You obviously seem to have made up your mind. Don't think there's a lot I can do to change it."

"You're goddamn right. You're _done_ , Sawyer. You're hanging for this."

After that, Holmes got up.

"I want a phone call, Mike."

Holmes reached into his pocket and slammed his phone down onto the table, before leaving the room.

Maggie sighed, and reached for the cellphone. She knew that there were probably people on the other side of the one-way glass. Maybe even her captain or lieutenant. She didn't want to think about the disappointed scowl that was probably plastered on their faces.

Instead, she dialed a number, and raised the phone to her ear. After not even three seconds, the phone clicked, and her girlfriend's voice flooded into her mind.

"Mags, it's kind of a bad time, I'm trying to get a strike team-..."

Maggie interrupted her quickly. "Al, baby… They arrested me."

"What?! Where are you, are you okay?!"

The detective chuckled weakly, shaking her head as she felt tears sting in her eyes. "I-uh… Holmes is going to pin all of it on me. That's at least three murders."

"Mags, listen to me. Where are you. I'm coming for you. babe, I figured out who killed those women, I'm-..."

"Al, you can't fix this. Holmes made up his mind. You can't bail me out."

"Maggie, _listen_. Your friend from the bar. From the sister planet of the Magh'rah. The painter."

"Jade…" Maggie let the name fall off her lips, before she closed her eyes. "Oh god, you're right. I… The flashes from last night…"

The door opened again, and Holmes sprinted through the door, reaching for the phone.

"No, wait!" Maggie yelled out desperately, trying to grab the phone back. "Please!"

"Maggie?!" She heard Alex yell from the other side of the line. But Holmes disconnected the call, and put his phone back into his pocket. "There you go. That was everyone, wasn't it? You seem kind of the loner type."

"Fuck off, Holmes." Maggie gritted her teeth in anger, trying to stop herself from spilling the tears that were threatening to spill. "She found the real killer. The DEO is going to get them, and you're going to wish you never looked at me, because I will _kill_ you once I get out of this."

"Like you killed Hayden Hayes?"

Maggie plopped back down into her seat, and glared daggers at him, but keeping quiet. Getting angry at him would only give him more reason to suspect her.

She had to trust that Alex was going to make it all better.

But god… _Jade._ How could she have been so blind. Her paintings showed nothing but pain, death and grief. Maggie had seen them before, had _complimented_ her, never once considering that she was painting _real people_.

Bits and pieces of last night came back to her. The gallery. Feeling like she couldn't breathe. Hayden standing over her… Jade kissing her.

She'd probably poisoned her with that kiss.

And Hayden had been telling the truth - he was trying to help.

"Holmes." Maggie looked up one last time. "I know who killed those women. You need to let me help."

"It's over, Sawyer."

After that, she was dragged back into a cell.

* * *

Alex ran a hand through her hair. Maggie had sounded like she was getting manhandled. And if that Holmes guy had his way, her girlfriend would be on the chair by sundown. She couldn't let that happen.

"J'onn, she's going down for something she didn't do. You _have_ to let me take this."

"Alex, you _know_ I can't. The DEO can't get involved in this."

"It's an alien murdering innocent humans for their own pleasure, J'onn! What the hell are you talking about?!" She shot back.

But J'onn sighed. "You're grasping at straws, Alex. You have zero proof, or evidence. Come back when you have something that _proves_ she's the killer, and I'll lead the strike myself."

Alex clenched her eyes shut, but nodded. "Okay. Alright, fine, I'll get you proof."

J'onn put a hand on her shoulder. "She's stuck there, but at least she's safe, Alex."

The agent turned around, and considered her options. Walking into that gallery guns blazing would be dangerous. But she could stealth it. Go into the bar and ask questions about the woman. Try and find her, stake her out…

"Winn." She yelled over her shoulder as she walked towards where the tech was sitting at his desk. He looked up at her.

"I need you to find out any information you can about that sister planet of the Magh'rah. Who they are, if there are any registered in the vicinity, abilities… Everything you have."

"On it. I'll call you if I have something."

Alex smiled weakly, before walking out of the DEO. She understood why J'onn had to be sure, before spending thousands of dollars on a strike of an innocent civilian. But she couldn't let Maggie rot away in jail, stuck for something that she probably didn't even do.

Because the more Alex thought about it, the more she was convinced that Jade had been toying with Maggie, getting her to take the fall for something she didn't do.

 _Retire from the force or face the consequences._

But why would Jade murder her husband, and her family-in-law? And what did those four women have to do with it?

One step at a time, she willed herself. First – find connections that tie her to the murders.

She headed to the bar.

* * *

"Sawyer." The guard on duty looked up at her, pressing against the bars. "You've got a visitor."

A visitor, in the holding cell. That was usually nothing good.

The door opened, and a young, blonde woman stepped into the room. She looked to be in her late twenties, and had a briefcase with her. She nodded politely at the guard. "Is there somewhere we can sit and talk? I really don't like conversing through bars."

The guard grunted. "I'll give you a room. You can go ahead, I'll move the suspect."

 _The suspect_. Maggie scoffed, as she watched the woman head back out into the door. She hadn't looked at her for even a second, and her mind started racing. Was the woman FBI? CIA maybe? Were they going to make her disappear?

The guard opened the jail door, and handcuffed her, as he lead her through the hallways, and into another interrogation room. He linked her handcuffs into a ring on the table, and looked at the woman again. "I'll be right outside."

The woman thanked him quietly, before watching him close the door behind him, and finally turning to Maggie.

"Margaret Sawyer."

"Maggie." The detective corrected weakly. "I don't go by Margaret anymore."

"He always referred to you as Maggie." The woman raised an eyebrow with a weak smile. "Sometimes he'd call me just to tell me what a great job you did on a case. I'd never seen you before in my life, but the way he talked about you, you almost felt like my sister."

"Who are you?" Maggie frowned, the chains rattling as she shifted in her seat.

The woman put the briefcase on the table next to them, and clicked it open. "Violet Hayes."

Maggie's stomach somersaulted. "Y-you're Ian's daughter."

"Yep." Violet sighed, rummaging through the briefcase and pulling out a few files, checking the covers. "Haven't seen my family in a year since I had to temporarily move out of the country for work. And now… I can't even say how much I missed them, because they're all _dead_."

Maggie took a shaky breath. "I… miss Hayes, I'm…"

"Violet." The woman corrected her quickly, glancing up from the files. "And if I would blame you, I wouldn't be sitting here browsing paperwork. I'd have strangled you by now."

The detective was at a loss. Violet seemed to notice her confusion, because she continued quickly. "… I saw how Holmes treated you. You have zero motive against my family. And my dad had too much going on the side for this to be a coincidence."

"So, why are you here with me then?" Maggie asked, watching her put a few files down and closing the briefcase once again.

"I'm a lawyer, Maggie. And when I get you out of here and prove that you're innocent, you're going to help me find whoever murdered my family."

"I know who did it, Violet. But we don't have any proof yet."

The woman smiled weakly. "Guess we'd better get to work, then."

* * *

"Haven't seen her here since last month."

"Don't know who that is, but she looks _hot_."

"Oh, Jade? Yeah, no, heard she got super serious with her husband, and had a kid."

"You got her number?"

Alex grunted, at the complete absence of any tangible clues. The bar patrons all looked like they couldn't care less, and she was running low on patience.

"Fuck…" She whispered to herself, as she finally headed to the bar to order a beer. She had to find Jade, and fast, before she made another victim.

Her phone rang in her pocket. She put the bottle down, and fished it out. "Danvers."

"Hey, Alex, it's Winn."

"Talk to me, Winn."

"Alright, so the species name is Ragh'Tah. Sister planet to the other guy's home, also artists, creative people… That kind of thing. There are five registered Ragh'Tahs in the US, but no registered here in National City. I found Jade Hayes – she has a gallery on Pico Boulevard. Sells her artwork for a living. She and her husband Hayden moved to France a few years ago, but they just moved back here."

"When did they move away? In 2012?!" Alex got up from the stool, already halfway out the door.

"… Yeah, in October."

 _That was the window._ She'd made a getaway with Hayden. It wasn't tangible yet, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Of the five registered Ragh'Tahs, there's one detained in another black site in Alaska for a series of kidnappings a few years back. A photographer, kidnapped young girls and drugged them to pose for him. They analyzed him there. Main difference between them and the Magh'rah species is that they don't have acid, but a toxin that has a subduing effect on humans, like a date-rape drug. It also causes memory loss. They can shapeshift, create art… that's all pretty much the same."

"I need pictures of those paintings. If I can prove that they're those murdered women, that's good enough to say she's the killer."

"I'll send you the address."

"Thanks." After that, she disconnected, and looked at her watch. 9.49. It was already getting dark outside. The gallery wouldn't be open. If she could sneak inside…

She ran to her Ducati, and hopped on. But before she could start the engine, she heard a voice behind her calling her name.

She turned her head, and saw an unfamiliar redhaired woman walking in her direction.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes. You can, actually." The woman glared at her. "I heard you've been looking for me."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about." Alex folded her arms and tilted her head, trying to look unfazed but already reaching for the holster of her gun.

"Maybe this will jog your memory?" The woman reached into her pocket, and got out a few red pills.

"Scarlet…" Alex connected the dots, looking up at her. "What do you want?"

"Oh, Alex…"

The agent frowned at why Scarlet knew her name, as she watched the woman move closer to her, like a hunter circling its prey.

"… You'd look great on my canvas."

Alex froze.

The next thing she was aware of, were rough hands pushing her against the wall, and lips on hers. She tried to push the woman away, but the grip on her shoulders was too strong. She fought, but it was clear that she was overpowered.

A few seconds into the kiss, she felt her knees buckle.

She slid down the wall, and fell to the ground, unmoving.


	18. Chapter 18

"That's absolutely ridiculous. My sister-in-law is _not_ an alien. She and Hayden have been married for six years, I'd _know_ if she was alien."

"I don't have time to tell you everything that happened, but _trust_ me when I say, that Jade has something up her sleeve. I _know_ Jade. We used to hang out at the bar all the time. I know everything about her. But she's been lying to you, to _us_. And maybe even to Hayden."

Violet took a deep breath, looking away. "And you're sure that she did it?"

"She fits all the boxes. I don't have any proof. But I remember her last night. She was there. I visited her gallery."

Violet pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's assume for a second that you're right. That Jade really murdered everyone. Why would she do that? She's such a sweet woman, she couldn't hurt a fly. Let alone Hayden or mom and dad."

"I don't have answers yet." Maggie answered honestly. "And I'm stuck here, so I can't _do_ anything to get them either."

"Right, about that." Violet closed the file in front of her. "I've been thinking about a strategy. But it's looking pretty grim in terms of evidence. There are no witnesses for last night, and the only information they have is a note that says 'forgive me, Alex' and a photo with you at the crime scene. Without other information that can explain it, there's not much we can do."

"So… What's the strategy then?" Maggie asked, cuffs clinking together as she rested her head in her hands on the table.

"… I need to go do some field work. Get evidence that proves you're innocent. You're going to have to wait it out. I'm sorry."

Maggie nodded slowly from her spot on the table, looking up again. "I figured things were pretty bad… Call Alex Danvers, my girlfriend. She's a special agent, she's been helping me. You can trust her."

"I will." Violet said, getting up. "If Holmes is breathing down your neck, or you feel like something is off, get on a line with me, Maggie. They can't stamp you as a bad guy without knowing the full story."

Maggie smiled weakly. "Thanks."

"Get some rest, okay?"

As Maggie watched the woman leave, she was hit with a wave of sadness. How Violet remained so strong with her entire family being murdered was beyond her. The rollercoaster she'd been on these past few weeks was nothing compared to the loss she'd feel if she ever got the phone call that everyone she loved was dead.

It was… odd. How stoic the woman was.

But Maggie put it aside. She couldn't afford not to trust Violet. She was the only link she now had to the world outside her cell.

* * *

" _Alex…. Alex…._ "

A voice stirred her back into consciousness. For a quick second, she could pretend that it was Maggie calling out to her, kissing her shoulder blade and spooning her from behind to start the day. But soon enough, she was snapped back to reality, when she was hit with a torrent of ice cold water.

She gasped, jumping up at the sensation, and momentarily flashbacking to Malverne's water tank, before realizing that she wasn't surrounded by water. Just lying down with her hands and feet tied up, in a room she didn't recognize.

The walls were a concrete gray, the ceiling had a few fluorescent lights that buzzed lightly.

"Wakey wakey."

Alex managed to focus her eyes to look around, and finally found the source of the voice.

Scarlet, standing next to an easel, holding a few tubes of paint. The clicking of the woman's heels as she approached her reverberated in Alex's head, but she told herself not to show weakness.

"There you are. There are those beautiful eyes."

"W-why would you do this." Alex grunted, her head still fuzzy from unconsciousness. "Why did you bring me here."

" _You_ … are going to be the subject of my newest masterpiece. I'm going to call it… 'The Other Half'. What do you think?"

"The other half of what?" Alex groaned as she crawled up to a sitting position, to look at the woman better. She was still in her Scarlet form, but that was probably one of her disguises.

"Of you and Maggie, of course." Scarlet smiled, as she put the tubes of paint down on a nearby table. Alex deducted that she was in some sort of art studio. The soft music playing in the back gave the scene a creepy and unsettling tone. But she didn't see any discomfort on the other woman's face as she continued. "I tried to paint her yesterday, but she was _so_ rude. Kept on screaming about Hayden. I mean, he was _my_ husband. Why is _she_ upset? Right?"

Alex couldn't respond. Her brain was still trying to catch up.

"… Well, I mean, I like it when they scream. It's all much more raw and emotional. But if they don't hold still, it ruins the painting process."

"What did you do to Maggie last night, Jade?" Alex growled. The redhead lowered the paintbrush she'd picked up, and laughed. "Nice one. You figured it out. You're probably the only one."

"By the time they find me, _everyone_ will know about you."

"Yes. And what will you do, Alex? Lock me up like you tried to lock that Magh'rah up that was just trying to live his life?"

"That _thing_ tried to kill us. He killed people. And so did you."

"You humans are so morally unjust." The woman sighed, before morphing into a tall, slender brunette with long, waving hair. That had to be Jade.

"You keep on asking me _why_ I do what I do. I've been on this planet for _centuries_. I have painted _every single thing_ you can imagine, and none of it is as satisfying as seeing that fear on human's faces. That fear of death, fear of the unknown. Fear of _me_. I guess that's why people like my artwork so much."

"So why don't you just let them go then? If they won't remember anything the morning after, why don't you just let them walk?! You could have saved those people, and you chose to _murder_ them."

Jade raised an eyebrow as she moved back to her easel, and continued her painting. "I let Maggie walk, didn't I? I could have killed her. Although, to be fair, she kind of jumped into that dumpster on her own."

"Why Ian? What did he do?"

"He came too close!" Jade hesitated, and then smiled after her outburst. "He shouldn't have picked up the case. He should have left it alone. And I warned him, numerous times. But he wouldn't listen. And then Joan knew that I'd been on the boat, so I had to get rid of her too."

She continued painting, unfazed, as if she'd just read out loud from a book. Completely emotionally distant. And Alex began to consider that maybe she just honestly didn't care about the family at all.

"This is just one of your lives, isn't it?" She swallowed thickly. "You just… Pick up the pieces and move on to something and someone else."

Jade chuckled, but her eyes didn't leave her canvas. "I am Michelangelo and Hopper. Vermeer and Bosch. I am nearly every single painting you have ever laid eyes on. There are museums all over the world with just _my_ work. My purpose in life is to paint."

"Why does Michelangelo need to murder women in an alleyway to make masterpieces?" Alex shot back.

Jade looked like she was going to answer, when a sharp ring made the both of them look up. Jade put her paintbrush down with a sigh. "Late night visitors. Stay quiet, Alex. For your own good."

She closed the door to the studio behind her, leaving Alex alone, and headed into the gallery.

A woman was standing at the door, and she unlocked it quickly, her eyes widening in surprise. "Violet! Hey!"

Violet smiled weakly, and reached forward to kiss her on the cheek. "I just got back, I just… _need_ someone to talk to Jade… _God_ , w-what the hell happened?!"

Jade nodded, a sad frown on her face, as she let Violet into the gallery. "Can I get you anything? Something strong? Vodka?"

Violet laughed weakly. "I still have to drive back to my hotel, I'm fine."

"The police won't tell me anything." Jade said with a frown, as she took a seat on one of the chairs in the corner. "… I… I can't get them to tell me what's going on, I don't know anything."

"Well, they arrested someone. A cop. Apparently she's been behind the whole thing."

"Is that what they're saying?"

Violet shrugged off her coat, and sighed, taking a seat next to her sister-in-law. "If I see that cop face to face, I'm going to _kill_ her for what she did to my family."

Jade put a hand on hers, and squeezed it gently. "We've only got each other now, Violet. I'm here for you, whatever you need. I'm with you."

"I want _revenge_." Violet whispered, looking up at Jade. "I want to kill that woman for ripping my family apart."

"I understand, Vi." Jade nodded. "You're frustrated, you're looking for anything to take that sadness in your heart away. But _this_ … you making a stupid mistake, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life. Hayden, and Ian and Joan wouldn't want you to do it."

"But then… what am I supposed to do?" Violet sobbed. "I… I don't see an exit. I don't see a way out."

"Let _me_ handle it. I promise you. Things are going to get better. Okay?"

Violet took a deep breath, and nodded. "Actually… Could I get some water?"

"Yeah, of course." Jade got up, and walked over to the back. When Violet was sure she was out of sight, she grabbed her phone and started making photos of every painting in the gallery. Most of them were relatively abstract, and definitely not proof.

She had to go to Jade's studio. She knew that was probably where she kept all of her dark things.

She got up, and sprinted towards the door out of the gallery, that lead into a small hallway. She'd been there before, as Jade had shown her around when it first opened. She knew her way around the building, and ran straight for the door to the studio.

She reached for her phone, and pushed the door open slowly.

Her eyes widened at the first glimpse of the room.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you."

Violet froze at the sound of Jade's icy voice behind her.


	19. Chapter 19

"Sorry! I was just… Trying to get a glimpse of your artwork, Jade." Violet chuckled nervously, closing the door immediately. "Didn't mean to barge in or spy."

"It's alright." Jade laughed, shaking her head. "No harm, no foul. Let's go back to the gallery though. My studio's a mess, I've been painting non-stop. I guess that's my way of coping."

"Yeah… It's all pretty dark stuff." Violet commented, as she looked around the paintings hanging up in the hall leading back to the gallery.

Jade nodded. "It's things that I think about. The vulnerability of the human race." She sighed. "I mean – look at what happened. Three days, and Ian, Joan and Hayden are gone…"

Violet swallowed thickly, as she reached for the glass of water Jade was holding out. She took big gulps, and downed it, before getting up. "I should get going… I just wanted to talk. But Jade – if something's up, you know where to find me, right? And we should start talking about the funerals…"

"Of course." Jade smiled sympathetically. "I'm here for you."

Violet headed to the door, when Jade stopped her one last time. "That cop… Do you know her name?"

"Sawyer… Or something. I'm going to go over to the police station first thing tomorrow to get more information."

Jade nodded once again, and watched Violet leave, before taking a deep breath and returning to the studio, closing the door behind her. "Well, _that_ was close."

"W-what did you _do_ to me?" Alex hissed through her teeth as she glared up at the woman. The brunette walked back to her easel, and picked up her brush.

Alex was breathing heavily. She'd tried to scream earlier. To get whoever was in the store to notice her, but she found herself unable to yell out, or make a sound above a whisper. It had to be Jade, she had some sort of control over her.

"Answer me!" Alex tried to scream, but it came out a pathetic whimper. She cursed herself for having let her guard down back at the bar – with Maggie in jail, the only hope she had was Kara. And the blonde was off doing a piece on a conference on the outskirts of the city – she wouldn't think to check up on her. _Fuck_.

"Alex, if you don't stop moving I'll be forced to hold you down. And that makes everything feel fake. Keep it natural, please."

Alex scoffed at the woman's nonchalance. "Look me in the eyes and tell me what you made Maggie do. Did she kill Hayden? Did you?"

"Let's say… Maggie and I have a history of… having fun little projects together. This was just us picking up where we left off."

"Why Hayden? Didn't you love him?"

"Lie back down on the ground, please."

A non-answer. Alex shook her head. "I'm not helping you do _anything_ until I get answers!"

Jade put her brush down again with a deep sigh. "If you want answers, I'm going to have to kill you. Up to you, really. They'll never figure out it was me. And you won't remember this by morning. The only thing left…" Jade stared down at her canvas, "…will be this artwork. Centuries from now people will see it, and feel the pain that you felt right now, Alex. Isn't that magical?"

She didn't wait for Alex's sarcastic response. Instead, she made eye-contact with the woman, and smiled. "Lie down. Now."

Alex found herself complying before she could stop her own body. As her back hit the ground, she looked up at Jade. "You're sick, do you know that?"

"I am a genius." Jade replied, tilting her head sideways to study her work. "I love it. Your face is so… intricate. You've seen so much in so little time."

She put the canvas to the side, against the wall, and grabbed a new, blank one. Alex craned her neck to see the painting she just finished.

She had to give the alien credit – it was hyper-realistic. It showed her, looking up, with glassy and teary eyes. And for a second, she could see the pain reflected in her own eyes, like looking in a mirror. It was disturbing, to say the least.

"For the next one, I need you to sit." Jade stated, as she reached for a wooden chair and put it in front of Alex.

She was so close…

Alex moved forward, pushing both of her legs in Jade's direction, and effectively hitting her knees, causing the brunette woman to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Alex jumped up, and elbowed her in the face, before hopping towards the door.

"STOP!" She heard behind her.

Alex froze involuntarily.

Winn hadn't mentioned that the toxin was mind-controlling.

"Come here, and sit on the chair." Jade ordered, sounding more irritated than angry. "You law enforcement people need to learn to follow orders."

When Alex was back in the chair, Jade walked up to her, and undid the ties around her hands and feet. "Now, I assume you're going to behave?"

Alex stayed silent.

"Good." Jade continued anyway. "Now sit still. I want this to be perfect."

The agent wondered if anybody even knew that she was gone.

* * *

It was after midnight, and the lights in the police station were out. Maggie knew where she was. She'd been in the precinct many times working on cases. But never had she seen the inside of the jail cell, and she never wanted to be here again.

Truth be told, at this point, she didn't even know what was real anymore. The flashes of last night were so incoherent, yet convinced her that she at least had _something_ to do with the murders. But she didn't remember anything about Jade, or whether she was even there in the alley. Or _why_ she could possibly murder Hayden.

The door opened, leaving her wincing at the sudden brightness of the fluorescent lights in the hallway. A figure stepped into the cell.

Maggie held still. She figured it was Holmes coming back to taunt her, as he'd done a few times in the past hours. If he thought she was sleeping, maybe he'd leave her alone…

"Maggie?"

It was a woman's voice. She recognized it as Violet, and turned around on the mattress to look at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I sent the guard for coffee, but we don't have much time. I went to Jade's, there's something in her art studio. She was painting another woman." Violet whispered. "… Holmes is convinced it's you, but maybe we can ask somebody else for help, to get a warrant to search the place?"

Maggie tried to think quickly. Holmes was lead investigator, so there wasn't much they could do… except go over his head. "Ask Cooper. My boss. He's been buying illegal alien drugs after hours, so maybe we can blackmail him into listening to us."

"Good thinking." Violet looked up at the sound of footsteps. "Quick, pretend you're asleep."

Maggie flipped over quickly, trying to even out her breathing, as she heard the door open once again.

"She's sleeping. I'm sorry to bother you, sir. I wasn't sure whether they were still interrogating her."

"That's alright." Came the guard's scruffy voice. "… Want me to wake her up?"

"No, thank you. It can wait until morning. Have a good evening."

Maggie heard two pairs of footsteps head out of the room. When the door closed behind them, everything went back to dark silence.

* * *

"I feel like we've really bonded, you and me. You know, it gets pretty lonely having to start your life all over again every fifty-something years. And people are dicks to painters, too. Well, it's getting better now, but back when I was this painter in the 1700s in Paris, I…"

Alex's head lolled down. She was exhausted. There was a permanent fog over her brain, and thinking straight was getting harder by the minute. Maybe the memory loss was already kicking in.

And at that point, she realized, there was no way that Jade was letting her walk after telling her all of her secrets. Within the next six hours, Alex would be dead.

She hadn't heard Jade stop talking, and watched now as she put her next painting by the other one. Another masterpiece – as cruel as it was.

"Now, for the last one… take off your clothes."

"M-my…?"

"You heard me, Alex. I want to see all of you."

Alex shook her head slowly, trying to push the fog away. "N-no. I'm not…"

"Why? Are you embarrassed? It's fine, Alex. I'm married. Oh, well, not anymore, I guess." Jade smiled weakly. "Now, do it."

Alex took a shaky breath, as she reached for her shirt and pulled it over her head, dropping it to the floor. She unbuttoned her pants, and felt a tear slide down her cheek as she pulled them down.

"Oh, heavy machinery." Jade commented, as she stared down at Alex's legs.

Alex ignored the comment, and threw her pants next to her shirt, taking a seat now dressed only in her underwear. "Satisfied?"

"Not quite." Jade raised an eyebrow.

For a second, Alex realized that she was actually going to have to strip naked in front of this psychopathic alien shapeshifter.

But then, Jade dropped the four words that were even worse.

"Take off your leg."

Alex started sobbing quietly as she reached for her knee, and slowly pushed the prosthetic out of its socket. For the first time, she stared down again at her missing leg as the tears dripped onto her thighs.

The reminder of what had been taken from her. Of the normal life she would never lead again.

"Good. There we go. You're gorgeous." Jade encouraged, but it only made Alex feel sick to her stomach. She had to look away. Anywhere but the _stump_.

She'd never felt more dirty and vulnerable in her life. And she couldn't help the thick tears, or the gasped sobs that left her now. Even with her underwear still on, she felt _naked_.

"Yes… perfect." She heard Jade whisper as the woman got to work on her canvas.

Alex bowed her head, and closed her eyes, tears slipping through them, and dripping onto the floor underneath her.


	20. Chapter 20

"And you think I'm going to let a _lawyer_ interfere with a police investigation? I thought you attorneys knew better."

Violet smiled weakly, shaking her head. Of course she'd expected the answer.

"Well, I can make a case for the fact that the investigation has been anything but orthodox. I could _destroy_ every single obtained piece of evidence in your case, and you know it, sir."

Rick Cooper folded his arms. "And what is that supposed to mean, miss?"

Violet leaned forward, her polite smile from earlier gone completely. "I'm sure the jury will _love_ hearing all about how the lead investigator has a personal vendetta against my client, and that his boss was too busy getting high off alien drugs to pull him off the case."

Cooper jumped up and stared her down, his nostrils flaring in anger. " _What_ did you just say?"

"We have eyewitnesses putting you at an illegal drug deal. There's photographic evidence." Violet didn't back down. "… I bet the judge would be ecstatic to hear it."

"Listen, you…" He didn't finish the sentiment, "…I am not going to sit here and take these threats. Leave, _now_ , before-…"

"-If you release my client right now, the evidence against you will be destroyed. Take it or leave it."

"Sawyer is a prime suspect in a serial murder case!" Cooper growled.

"I'll get you a new one. The one that actually did it. But your investigator is so hell-bent on frying another detective that he's not seeing that there are other women out there getting murdered while he's sitting on his ass and gloating."

When Violet saw the doubt in the man's eyes, she continued for the final push. "I have an address, and an acceptable theory. Get a warrant, and search the place, or I'll do it myself, and leave you in the dirt with the district attorney. I'm giving you a chance here, mister Cooper. Take it."

Cooper looked away, before sighing. "You'll destroy the photographs?"

"Clean slate." Violet promised.

She watched the man reach for a sheet of paper and a pen, and push it in her direction. Violet smiled as she wrote the address down, and walked out after that.

* * *

Alex woke up to a loud banging, and the echoed sound of footsteps.

She opened her eyes carefully, wincing against the fluorescent light, and realized that she was still in the art studio. Her mind was too foggy to think about anything that happened before, but she had to have lost consciousness at some point.

There were four paintings against the wall of her. She must have been out for the fourth one, because she could barely recognize herself looking so scared and vulnerable. She _hated_ that alien for everything she'd done these past weeks. These past _years_ , god knows how many victims she made while she was overseas.

Alex felt sick to her stomach.

But the banging continued. And soon, the door flew open.

Alex curled in on herself, not wanting Jade to see her. To mock her. She closed her eyes, and prayed that the nightmare would be over soon.

A selfish part of her wished that Jade would just kill her already, so she could stop feeling this humiliated.

But instead of taunting words and rough hands, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and hair tickling her upper arm. "Alex?"

She knew that voice.

Alex turned around, and her head spun with relief at seeing the woman crouching next to her. "M- _Maggie?_ "

Maggie smiled weakly. "Hey babe… Are you okay?"

"D-don't… don't look at me." Alex whispered, already trying to cover every part of her body she could with her hands. But Maggie reached for her hands and gently pulled them away. "Shhh, it's okay. I got you, you're safe."

"H-how…?"

"There's no time to explain. We need to get out, before she comes back. Can you walk?"

"S-she took my leg…" Alex sobbed, looking around for it but not seeing the prosthetic anywhere. Maggie reached down, and pulled her up to carry her without another sound. "We'll come back for it. We just need to get you somewhere safe."

"I love you…" Alex buried her face in the crook of Maggie's neck, her mind finally trying to come to terms with the fact that Maggie was there. That the both of them were safe now.

Maggie carried her out the back door of the building, and into an alleyway behind it. She set Alex down. "Stay here, okay? I'm going to call for back-up to get her."

Alex nodded, and watched Maggie go back inside the gallery, phone pressed to her ear.

* * *

It was close to three in the morning, as three police cruisers pulled up to the curb on Pico Boulevard.

Detective Michael Holmes stepped out of the first one, straightening his coat, and grunting against the nightly chill. He beckoned the rest of his team. "Alright, ladies! I'm doing this as a favor to Cooper and the DA, but I'm not really sure we're going to find anything here. Let's just get this over with so we can all go home and sleep, alright?"

The officers nodded, as Holmes reached for the piece of paper in his pocket, and knocked on the door of the gallery. He took a step back, and waited, but there was no reply.

He shot an annoyed glance backwards, but knocked again. "NCPD!"

"Nobody home." One of the officers sighed.

Holmes reached for the doorknob, and found to his surprise that the door was open. "Probable cause…" He grunted to himself, as he entered the gallery.

"NCPD! Anyone here?"

Once again, the detective received no reply.

"We have a warrant to search your gallery, ma'am? Miss Hayes?"

Holmes sighed, and walked to the back. If there was nobody, that meant that he could at least do his job in peace. Taking just one second to glance over his shoulder at the artwork on the walls.

He never cared much for art.

"Start here, go room by room." He ordered the officers around him. "Look for anything that could have something to do with Sawyer, or the husband."

He watched as his colleagues got to work, but then noticed an ajar door in the back. He pushed it open slowly, and flicked the lights on.

This had to be the studio. It looked like someone had just painted – there was still dirty water in a cup near the easel, and the smell of paint was still fresh.

But apart from that, the place was completely clean. No painting anywhere, just a few blank canvasses in the corner.

He chuckled, and shook his head. Whatever favor Cooper had him doing, he'd be disappointed. Nothing in the building so far lead Holmes to believe that it was anything but a distraction from the perp sitting in holding.

He'd known from the start. He knew he'd seen somebody on Ian's boat, jumping into the water. He knew she stole the case files to obliterate the evidence. And the girlfriend was complicit. He just had to prove it.

Already more than frustrated that he'd been pulled out of bed for a nightly errand of nothingness, Holmes walked back into the hallway, where he met up with the others.

"Place looks clear, sir."

"Nothing relevant to the case."

"I figured." Holmes chuckled weakly, shaking his head. "Let's leave it at this, and get back to our wives then, shall we?"

As he walked out, he pressed his phone to his ear. "… Rick! Yeah, I'm here…"

" _And?_ "

"Well, I don't know whatever magic fairy told you that we'd find something here, but the place is clean. Not even a single splatter of paint. All clear."

" _You're sure?_ "

"It's not my first rodeo, Rick. I know when I'm being strung along. What was this whole thing for anyway?"

" _Don't worry about it. Get me a report of the search by noon tomorrow._ "

"Always a pleasure, boss."

Holmes looked down at his phone and shook his head, tucking it into his pocket, and walking back to his car.

"Night, boys!" He yelled, before starting the engine and speeding off towards the precinct. He'd kill for a burger right now. _Maybe a quick stop at the drive-through…_

" _All units, reports of a 10-54 on Walnut Avenue, available units please respond."_

Holmes rolled his eyes, already ignoring the call and praying that somebody else would take it. Not tonight. He was _done_ for tonight.

Until his cellphone rang.

With a frustrated growl, he reached for it, and put it on speaker. "Holmes."

" _Mike._ " It was Cooper.

"Unsatisfied with my work, boss?" Holmes grinned, as he took a left turn.

" _Mike, get your ass to Walnut right now_."

Holmes frowned. "What are you talking about?"

" _Now, Holmes. Before I kick you off the force for negligence_."

"Alright, alright! God." Holmes grunted, disconnecting the call, and setting a route for Walnut, a few blocks away. Breezing over a clearly unimportant search warrant was one thing – but threatening to fire him over it, _that_ was a bit extreme. Even for Cooper.

He pulled over to the curb, and jumped out of the car, already feeling his patience drop. There were blue flashing lights; one of the cars from earlier had detoured to respond to the call.

An officer ran up to him. "Detective!"

Holmes walked with him, into an alley.

He didn't like where it was going.

"Mailman found it a few minutes ago, on an early round." The officer said, as he covered his mouth and nose. It was obvious that he was a newbie, and not yet familiar with the stench of death.

Holmes however, had his fair share.

The pair walked to the back of the alley, where one lonely dumpster stood against the wall.

And Holmes' stomach dropped.

"Fuck… _FUCK_!" He yelled, turning around and kicking the nearest trash can.

He didn't need to look into the dumpster to see the hand and hair sticking out of the lid.


	21. Chapter 21

Michael Holmes could count the times he felt less comfortable at a crime scene on one hand, as he watched a familiar gray car stop in front of the police tape.

 _He was fucked._

The police officer at the perimeter was smart enough to allow the car to pass, and out stepped a raven-haired, professionally dressed woman.

Julia Goodwin, the District Attorney.

Looking absolutely pissed.

She slammed the door shut, and ducked underneath the tape, her heels clicking dangerously as she approached him, and pointed at him. " _You_ have three seconds to explain all of this before I lose my patience, Holmes."

"Ma'am, uh, the body is female, about thirty years ol-…" He started, but she chuckled dryly and cut him off with a raise of her hand.

"I want you to tell me why there is a _detective_ in a holding cell that you _promised_ was the killer, while there has been another murder?!"

"Ma'am, all due respect, it's too early to start theorizing. Sawyer could have dumped the body _before_ she was arrested, or-…"

" _Enough_ , Holmes." Goodwin shook her head. "It's four in the morning and we're standing at _another_ dumpster with _another_ dead body. I'm convinced that you didn't even _consider_ any other killer besides Sawyer, and look where it got you."

Behind the police tape, another car pulled up. But Holmes ignored it, to look the DA in the eyes. "I'm sorry, ma'am. There was reasonable evidence against Sawyer, she was placed at the murder site, and she stole evidence."

"You can't tell a cop not to investigate and then be surprised if they do it, Holmes." Goodwin seemed completely unimpressed, but decided to change the subject. "What about the search warrant for the gallery?"

"Nothing." Holmes shook his head. "Completely clean."

She didn't seem satisfied with the answer, but took a deep breath and let it slide. "You're off this case, Holmes."

"What?!" He scoffed. "That's ridiculous! Just because I _might_ have been wrong about…"

"… About what?" Goodwin raised an eyebrow. "… About throwing one of your colleagues under the bus for lack of a better option?"

"There was _tangible evidence_ …" Holmes grunted, but he cut himself off when he realized it was futile. Instead, he smiled weakly. "Have a good night, ma'am."

The woman nodded, as Holmes walked back to his car. On his way, he passed by the other car, just parked, and stopped as he saw who was getting out of the back seat.

"Sawyer." He looked as she closed the door behind her and stopped as she spotted him.

"Holmes."

"Listen-…" He started, but Maggie laughed, cutting him off immediately.

"Save it, Mike. I get it."

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You thought that this was _your_ case. The one case that you could solve. Cop killing cop, I _get_ it. I'm sorry I have to disappoint you. I want justice for Ian as much as you do. And I doubt you're going to apologize for it, with – you know – me being a moronic risk-taker, running into danger and all that, but you don't need to. I can't change who I am, but I want to get to the bottom of this. For him."

Holmes nodded weakly, taking a deep breath. "Just… Get the guy, alright? And lock him up for good, or put a bullet between his eyes."

Maggie smiled. "Gladly, Mike."

Holmes nodded once more, before heading to his car. Maggie sighed, and walked over to the dumpster.

"Detective Sawyer."

"Ma'am." Maggie greeted Julia Goodwin with a polite nod. "Another body?"

Instead of replying immediately, Goodwin let her eyes wander over Maggie's form. "…Did they treat you alright in holding?"

"Nothing I can't handle. And I'd probably be the same if I was convinced I'd killed seven people."

"Will you be alright in taking over again? I can call up someone else if you don't feel comfortable."

Maggie _was_ uncomfortable, but more with the way Goodwin was speaking in such a concerned tone. She was used to the woman being friendly, yet distant. She hadn't seen this side of her. And truth be told – since she herself didn't know exactly what she did last night, she wasn't exactly sure she was deserving of the title of 'innocent'.

"I'm fine, ma'am. I can handle it."

Goodwin nodded, and motioned for Maggie to follow her into the alley. "Your lawyer's tip didn't get anywhere. According to Holmes, the place was clean."

"How long did he look?"

It was a rhetorical question, and Goodwin knew it. She sighed. "Well, we can't do anything about it anyway. We have another body."

The CSI's allowed the both of them to pass, and Maggie felt an odd sense of déja vu as she saw Sheldon Merbon, the resident ME, at the dumpster. It was too similar to Ian's initial murder – the one that started this whole mess.

"Caucasian female, no ID found on her. It looks like the same MO – drugged."

Maggie reached up to look into the dumpster, and her stomach dropped.

"Oh… my God…"

"What?" Goodwin frowned, as she saw how pale Maggie had become. "Detective? Are you okay?"

"I…" Maggie took a shaky step in the direction of the dumpster.

Her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. It couldn't be…

But…

"I… I know her." Maggie swallowed thickly, closing her eyes. Fuck… _fuck._

She turned back around to face a baffled Goodwin. "I-It's Jade Hayes."

"Hayes? As in… The gallery owner? The one that you thought was the killer?"

Maggie covered her mouth with a hand, shaking her head. "No, this is… This has to be the _real_ Jade Hayes. Not the alien taking her place."

"There's an _alien_?" Goodwin frowned, but Maggie shook her head, already two steps further. "I… I need to call Alex…" She trailed off, turning back to the woman. "I'll keep you posted, ma'am. Sheldon, autopsy results?"

"I… Around noon, I hope, but I doubt there's going to be anything different from the others…"

"I'll come by at noon!" Maggie yelled over her shoulder, running back into the direction of the cruiser that had driven her to the scene, getting in the driver's seat and calling Alex.

"Come on, come on…"

"… _This is Alex Danvers, I'm currently unavailable-_ …"

"Fuck…" Maggie whispered, as she tried again. Once again, it went to voicemail.

"Damn it… Alex, it's me. Call me back once you get this, it's an emergency."

She put her phone in her pocket, and drove to Alex's apartment. She was probably just sleeping. Still though – Alex was a light sleeper, she should have heard the phone.

 _No, stop_. Maggie shook her head at the scenarios running through her head. Alex was _fine_. She was just at their apartment, sleeping. Not-

 _God._

Maggie sped up, racing through the streets to get to the apartment as fast as possible, going over the case again to distract herself from the invading thoughts.

She had assumed that the Ragh'tah had been living under Jade's name for quite some time now. But she'd never considered that maybe the real Jade was still around.

Honestly – she figured the body she was using was somebody from many years ago. That's how _she_ would do it, in her shoes. But if there really was a real Jade…

One of three things had to have happened tonight.

Either the alien had finally disposed of the real Jade, dumping her to finally finish off the entire family, someone else had gotten to the alien before Maggie herself and killed it while it was still in Jade's form, _or_ …

Or it was just an elaborate scheme for the alien to play dead.

But Maggie didn't want to consider what that third option would be for.

And why the fuck wasn't Alex answering her phone?!

The final right turn to the apartment, and she had to stop for a red light, trying to make sense of all of it.

All of a sudden, she was hit with a huge dizzy spell, as she lurched forward, breathing heavily. Lurching the steering wheel to the right, she hoped she wasn't going to hit anybody or anything as she pulled over quickly, trying to control her breathing.

Was she experiencing late side-effects to the toxin?

She looked down, her eyes widening as she saw how much her hands were shaking.

Just a few buildings down was Alex's apartment, if she could make it…

The second she reached for the door with unsteady hands, she knew she wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

" _Maggie!"_

 _She looked up to the sound of someone calling out to her, and saw that it was Hayden looking at her with a worried frown. "Hey, are you alright? You passed out…"_

" _I-I…" Maggie's head was still fuzzy. "Sorry…"_

" _Is she okay?"_

 _Hayden turned his head to something Maggie couldn't see, before a brunette woman appeared in her vision again. Jade._

" _Hey, Mags… Why don't I take you home? You look like you need to get some rest…" She turned to her husband. "Hayden, babe, why don't we drive her home?"_

" _Yeah. I'll go get the car."_

 _Jade smiled weakly as she rubbed Maggie's shoulders. "Hey… You're okay, you're fine."_

" _I-I think I just… I think Hayden drugged me."_

 _Jade's face morphed from sympathy, to a cold frown instantly. "What?"_

" _H-he gave me something to drink… I… I don't feel good…" Maggie slurred, trying to shake the dizziness out of her head. But Jade grabbed her by the shoulders. "Maggie, stay with me, hey. I'll keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't try anything."_

 _The only thing Maggie could do was nod, before Jade helped her up slowly, and supported her all the way to the car._

* * *

" _Pull over here, baby." Jade said quickly, motioning to the side of the road, near an alley. Hayden complied easily, frowning. "What is it? Is she sick?"_

" _I think so…" Jade pulled Maggie out of the car, and helped her into the alley, resting her on her knees. "Hayden, something's wrong with her… Did you do something?"_

" _What are you talking about? What would I have done?!" Hayden frowned indignantly. "I just gave her a ride to your gallery from the police department!"_

" _What did you two talk about?!"_

 _Maggie clenched her eyes shut, trying to follow the conversation while getting to her feet._

" _Just… I… I found some stuff in dad's safe! Stuff that can get the police to think he's guilty of murdering those women! But I know he didn't do it – I wanted to ask her for help!"_

 _The detective became aware of a hand rubbing at her back gently. "Look at her, Hayden! She's in shock!"_

" _I… Should I call 911, or…"_

" _Just… go stand over there, give us some space!" Jade yelled at him, motioning wildly into the alley. Hayden grunted, and walked away._

" _Maggie, listen to me. Whatever you see or hear, don't move until I tell you to." Jade said, putting something in her hand, and getting up. Maggie glanced down, and saw that it was a small note._

 _After that, all she could hear was a muffled cry, and the unmistakable sound of arterial blood splattering all over the alley._

 _She was frozen. And not by choice._

" _Maggie! Come here!"_

 _Her body complied easily, but her eyes widened at the sharp scent of spilled blood, and the state of the alley._

 _Hayden was lying on the ground, unmoving, his throat slit, and still gushing blood._

" _What did you do?!" Maggie cried out, looking up at Jade, who was covered in blood and smirking._

" _It's a good thing I bought some red paint… I'm going to enjoy this."_

" _Y-you killed him… It's you…"_

" _Stick that note onto that dumpster."_

 _Maggie felt a camera click behind her as she couldn't help herself. Once the note was stuck, she watched Jade grab Hayden's corpse and nonchalantly flick him into the dumpster._

" _You and I are going for a ride." Jade pointed at Maggie, with a smirk._

" _W-where to?"_

 _Jade stepped forward, putting a hand on Maggie's cheek, and winking as she captured Maggie's lips once again, before moving to whisper in her ear._

" _Don't worry about it."_

 _After that, everything went dark once again._


	22. Chapter 22

Cars honking. The incessant buzzing of some sort of insect around her.

Heels clicking on the pavement.

The sounds of National City waking up to another day of work.

Though her head was pounding horribly, Alex opened her eyes, already fearing what she'd done the night before to get a hangover this bad.

It took her three seconds to realize that she wasn't, in fact, lying on her bed with a hangover, although whatever was underneath her was softer than the ground.

The smell hit her next.

And sent her right back to reality.

She was lying in a dumpster.

 _Oh god…_

The lid was down on top of her, and she reached for it weakly, pushing it off. The early morning sun hit her right in the face, and she winced away from it.

She had to get out.

She reached for the edge, and tried to pull herself up, but only now saw the state she was in. Her grimy underwear, and her stump. Her entire body shaking.

 _What the hell happened…_

Carefully, she tried to maneuver out of the bin, but she knew it was only a matter of time until she slipped. Sure enough, after a few seconds, she felt her arms shake as she toppled over onto the ground, her back hitting the asphalt of the alley.

" _Shit_ …" She winced. Her mind from the night before was blank, but with all the information rushing back to her – she realized. _Maggie_.

She got to her hands and knees, and crawled out of the alley, knowing that it was faster than trying to hop to safety. She didn't have a phone… _Kara?_

Kara always seemed to sense when she was in trouble. A sister's instinct, probably combined with super hearing.

"Kara…" She whispered weakly. "H- _help me_ …"

The last thing she wanted was for somebody to see her like this, when she didn't know what happened. She only remembered the smell of paint, the rest of the evening was a blur. The thought scared her beyond measure.

After a few seconds, she heard a familiar _whoosh_ behind her, and her head spun with relief. She stopped moving and turned around to face her sister. But the strangled gasp behind her made her all the more self-conscious, as she realized the state she was in.

" _Alex_ …" Kara's eyes were wide. "I… W-what happened?!"

"I… I d-don't know." Alex sobbed. "S-someone took it…"

"Took what?!"

"My leg…" The agent looked down at the stump once more, and willed herself not to cry at the sight. Kara took a hold of her sister, and pulled her into her arms as she shot up into the sky, towards the DEO.

But a hand on her shoulder made her look down, as Alex shook her head weakly. "No… Not the DEO… _please_."

 _Don't let them see me like this._

Kara understood, and changed course, flying lower to finally land through the big open windows of Alex's apartment.

She set her sister down onto the couch and reached for the crutch in the corner, handing it over to Alex silently.

She knew how embarrassed her sister was. Getting her leg back was a big step towards recovery. And if some _assholes_ stole it, Kara wouldn't hesitate in breaking them.

"I'm going to run you a bath, okay?" She said, before disappearing into the bathroom to turn on the taps. When she returned to the living room, she found her sister staring at the exact same spot.

Kara knelt down in front of her sister and grabbed her hands, looking her in the eyes. "Alex… Can you tell me what happened? Who did this?"

All Alex did was shake her head.

Before Kara could respond, or push for an answer, the door to the apartment swung open, and Maggie walked inside. The second she saw Alex, she dropped the keys she'd been holding, her eyes widening.

" _Babe_ …"

She ran forward and enveloped Alex in a hug, only then noticing the disheveled and undressed state she was in. "What happened to you?!"

Kara shot Maggie a look that said they needed to talk in a second, as she carefully picked Alex up from the couch and carried her into the bathroom. Maggie didn't go after them, but her mind was already racing.

Something _had_ happened to Alex, and she hadn't known. That's why she wasn't answering her phone.

She ran a hand through her hair. It _had_ to have been Jade. She had abducted Alex, probably to paint her… God knows what she'd made her do after that.

The memories that surfaced in the car proved that Jade had murdered Hayden, and had made her an accomplice in faking evidence, but it didn't mean that she was innocent. There was still a hole between Hayden's death and when she'd woken up in the alley. Anything could have happened.

But now, with Jade's body being found… Everything she seemed to know went back to square one.

Kara closed the bathroom door on her way out, and folded her arms as she walked over to Maggie. "Are you okay?"

"Am _I_ okay?!" Maggie huffed. "What the hell happened to her, Kara?!"

"I don't know… I heard her cry for help five minutes ago, so I flew over to where she was. She was in an alley, I found her like that!"

Maggie closed her eyes, and winced. So Jade _was_ behind it.

That meant that either the Ragh'tah had abducted Alex, and murdered the real Jade…

… Or Alex had murdered the alien _or_ the real Jade.

"Fuck…" Maggie whispered, opening her eyes again. "This is bad, this is bad."

"Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?!" Kara shot back. "We found _you_ in a dumpster yesterday morning, after you were missing, and now Alex is-…" She stopped herself. "Tell me who I need to kill to make this stop."

"An alien. A Ragh'tah." Maggie wrapped her arms around herself. "Goes by the name of Jade Hayes, a painter. I need to call J'onn."

"I'll do it." Kara shook her head. "You stay with her. I'll keep you posted. I'm going to kick that thing's ass all the way back to its galaxy."

Maggie sighed, as she watched Kara speed away through the window, before she tried to compose herself and knocked on the bathroom door. "Alex?"

No reply.

"Babe, it's me. Can I come in?"

Maggie waited for the weak ' _yes_ ', before she opened the door.

Alex sat in the tub, left knee pulled up to her chest, and staring down into the water. Maggie approached her quietly, and crouched down, grabbing Alex's wet hand with her own to kiss the back of it.

It stayed silent between the two of them for a while, the only sound coming from the dripping of Alex's wet hair into the water.

"I remember." Maggie whispered finally, looking up at Alex. "It took me a day, but I remember what happened."

Alex tilted her head to look at her.

Maggie smiled weakly. "Kara is already at the DEO, they're going to help us find her."

"M-my _leg_." Alex whispered brokenly.

Maggie nodded silently, as she pressed another kiss to Alex's hand. "We're going to find it."

She wasn't all that worried about finding Alex's leg. Milo had told her that he'd implanted a tracker into the prosthetic, just to have another failsafe in case of an abduction.

God, _if she hadn't been locked up…_

She could have gone out looking for her. She could have saved her from _whatever_ Jade had done to her. She could clearly see that something had broken within Alex.

"She painted you, didn't she?" Maggie said, already knowing the answer.

"I-I can smell… paint."

Maggie leaned back, taking a second to think. Holmes and his team had searched the art studio, but it was completely clean. Which means that she either took Alex to a different location, or she'd cleared out everything before the police could get it.

"Y-you."

The detective looked up at the monosyllabic word, hissed by Alex. "S-she was _you_."

"Me?" Maggie frowned.

"I thought you came to _rescue_ me."

Alex's whispers stung. Maggie took a shaky breath, already feeling her throat close.

"We can't let her win this, babe." She shook her head, letting go of Alex's hand. "Letting it get to us, that's what she wants. Alex, I'm going to kick her _fucking_ ass for messing with you like that."

Maggie got up and was already halfway out the door seeing red, before she realized that Alex needed her more than she needed revenge right now. She sighed, and dropped down next to her now sobbing girlfriend. "I love you. I love you, I love you…"

She whispered the mantra over and over again, as she held Alex tight. But then, her girlfriend raised a shaky hand, and put it on Maggie's cheek. " _Go_ …"

For a second, Maggie thought that Alex was rejecting her comforts, but then she saw the slight yet familiar determination behind her watery eyes. " _Get her_."

All Maggie could do, was nod.

* * *

"I can't trace her. She shapeshifts almost every minute, I can't keep track." Winn grunted as he went over the CCTV footage he'd hacked into. Kara nodded, uttering a grunt of frustration.

J'onn walked over to them. The two looked up from the monitor.

"Winn, keep trying to track her. Kara, you fly over the city. Keep patrolling, maybe we can spot her like that."

J'onn didn't even have the energy to sound convincing. All three of them knew that it was a lost cause, but they weren't ready to give up yet.

Winn went back to tapping into camera databases and trying to see if the vanished paintings appeared anywhere on his radar.

Kara walked to the Launchpad on the balcony, ready for another round of flying over the city, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the figure walking up the steps.

"Maggie?! What are you doing here? What about-…"

"-Alex is fine." Maggie assured her quickly. "She _will_ be, once this is over."

"You should be home with her." Kara hadn't meant for her tone to sound accusing, but she was tired of the both of them running into danger and getting hurt without her knowing. She could have helped them, she could have done _something_ …

"I know how we can find Ja- the _alien_."

J'onn and Winn both seemed interested in hearing what she had to say. Not caring that she was calling the shots, Maggie slipped into detective mode, and looked up. "Kara, you need to go to the morgue and check if the female body they brought in last night is human. Winn, you need to activate the tracker on Alex's prosthetic and tell me where I can find it."

She finally turned to J'onn. "You and I are going to pay a visit to an old friend."

All three of them went to work without a second thought.

* * *

"Hotel Three-niner five. Juliet one-zero-one. DEO special agent Henshaw, stationed in National City, clearance level A."

"Detective Sawyer, NCPD, joint DEO taskforce, clearance level C."

Sam smirked as he watched them walk in, lowering his rifle. "Couldn't miss me?"

Maggie winked at him, but his eyes widened when he saw the size of the cheeseburger she pulled from behind her back.

She didn't lose any time in doing the security and safety checks, before getting to business. "We need to speak with him again, Sam."

"He won't be too happy." The man frowned. "Ever since you talked to him, he's been on edge. Aggressive. Shifting more."

Maggie didn't feel an ounce of regret. "Well, then, this is going to break him." She took a deep breath, and continued. "We need to be able to touch him, this time."

"That's imp-…" Sam started, but J'onn finally spoke up from his other side. "Sam, I know about the protocols, but we need to do this."

"He has information that we need. And we have a plan on how to get it."

Sam opened and closed his mouth a few times, before raising an eyebrow. "If you're talking about attempting to _torture_ the thing, believe me, I'd love to look the other way on it with the way he's been behaving, but I _can't_ let you in contact with him. He'd kill you on sight."

"Trust me." Maggie shook her head. "This will work."

"I take full responsibility for this, Sam." J'onn looked at him. "This isn't on you at all. You just need to bring him to us."

Sam nodded slowly. "Understood, sir."

He walked off, as Maggie and J'onn walked into the interrogation room.

"Ready?"

"Let's hope this works." J'onn sighed, before looking up, and shifting from his Hank Henshaw exterior, into a familiar redheaded woman.

The opposite door opened, and the Magh'rah, in Laurent's form, was pushed inside by Sam. He shackled the alien to the floor, and dropped him down onto the chair. One last nod at Maggie, and he was off.

But the Magh'rah only had eyes for the woman now sitting in front of him. His eyes widened dramatically, as he only managed to stammer.

"Y-you're here."

J'onn, as the woman, nodded. "I came to see you. I need your help."

" _Anything_ you want, my darling _Alice_."


	23. Chapter 23

J'onn – as Alice – smiled weakly. "It's been a while."

The Magh'rah seemed stunned, but he nodded quickly. "Y-yeah. I missed you, Alice."

"Could you… could you _not_ be him?" J'onn looked down. "It hurts."

It took the alien two seconds to change into a male form that Maggie didn't recognize. Mid-thirties, with dirty long, blonde hair. "Is this better?"

"Yes." J'onn took a shaky breath. "… I need your help."

Maggie watched the interaction closely, praying that her plan would work. If the Magh'rah could read minds, then he would know that something was wrong, and flip out. Now that the glass wall was lifted, he could spew acid at them and kill them in an instant.

Yet right now, all she saw in the alien's eyes was pure adoration for the woman in front of him. It was almost saddening.

"The alien that you told her about." J'onn glanced up at Maggie. "Scarlet. The drug dealer."

The Magh'rah nodded slowly.

"… It is a Ragh'tah, isn't it?"

The alien took a deep breath. "What she does is none of my business. I have no relation to her."

"The both of you have been on this planet for centuries, making your art. But she's putting everybody in National City in danger." Maggie spoke up, with crossed arms. "You need to tell us where we can find her."

"I don't know anything about her. I only know _of_ her." The alien sneered, before he turned back to Alice. "But _please_ … It's been so long, can't we talk about _you_?"

Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose. J'onn chuckled nervously. "If you tell us what we need to know, I can try and see if I can get you out of here. But _only_ if you help."

"You're lying." Maggie raised an eyebrow, looking the alien in the eyes. She saw how tense he'd become, and involuntarily took a step back. J'onn seemed to notice Maggie's discomfort, and cleared his throat. " _Please_."

"I don't know anything, Alice." The alien bowed his head. "I wish I could tell you… I would tell you _everything_. But I don't… We don't speak."

J'onn glanced backwards, and made eye-contact with Maggie for a brief second. _He is telling the truth_.

Maggie looked away in defeat.

"Can I hold your hand?"

J'onn nodded, and scooted the chair closer, passing the edge where the glass barrier was before, and reaching out his hand, so that the alien could take it in his.

It was oddly touching to see his eyes light up.

"There's this _auction_." The alien started. "… It's a space where artists like us come together to sell our artwork to the highest bidder. I've never done it, myself, but I've heard of it, and I've been invited a few times."

"Where is it?" J'onn asked.

"I don't know. I never went, and the location changes every time. But there is one in National City every few months. Maybe you can find her there. You have to be invited, and that doesn't come cheap, but it's the only thing I can think of…"

J'onn and Maggie made eye-contact once again, as Maggie made a move towards the door.

"Y-you're _leaving_? Already?"

J'onn smiled. "I'll be back. I promise."

"No- _stay_! I- I want to talk to you without _her_!" He pointed at Maggie, the handcuffs clinking together.

Maggie was less than amused by the prospect of leaving J'onn alone with a dangerous alien. But to her surprise, J'onn nodded up at her. "It's okay. Just… Go take care of it."

A deep breath, and Maggie slipped out of the room, phone pressed to her ear.

* * *

"The body was human." Kara confirmed, the second she saw Maggie back at the command center of the DEO. "DNA _did_ confirm that it was the real Jade Hayes. The autopsy currently says that she OD'ed on an unknown drug, she died somewhere last night."

"Yeah." Maggie winced at her own memory. Jade had spared her, and she'd spared Alex. There had to be a bigger plan there. "That means that the real Jade was still alive somewhere while the alien was taking her place."

Kara sighed. "All of this… Just for some paint on a canvas?"

The question was rhetorical. But Maggie had found herself wondering the same thing ever since it started.

Winn ran into the command center from a side corridor, panting, and dropped back down at his desk. "Found it! The prosthetic is in a building on Pico, downtown."

"The gallery." Maggie frowned. "Which means that she _did_ take Alex there… Kara, could you-…"

The blonde had already launched herself from the balcony.

Maggie sighed, and turned back to Winn. "The Magh'rah told us about an auction. Alien artists that sell their things to the 1%. Can you find something?"

"If it's underground, I doubt I'll find anything here… I'll have to go dark." Winn cracked his knuckles. "It might take some time."

"That's alright. I have my own plan." Her mind was already racing with the next steps. She patted Winn on the shoulder, before walking out of the DEO.

* * *

"Maggie?!" The woman exclaimed in surprise as she watched the detective enter the room, getting up from behind her desk. "I didn't… expect you?"

"Sorry to bother you, Lena. I know that you're busy. But I need your help."

Lena nodded slowly, as she settled back down into her chair. "Sit, please. Something to drink?"

"No, I can't stay long…" Maggie took a deep breath.

Lena noticed her discomfort and frowned. "Is everything okay…?"

"I know that you like art." Maggie started, ignoring Lena's worrying. "... How did you meet Laurent?"

"Laurent – the writer?" Lena looked up as she considered. "Uh… A few years ago, we met at an event."

"An event." Maggie nodded slowly. "W-what kind of event?"

Lena chuckled dryly, now getting more and more worried about the state of her friend. "Maggie – can you tell me what's going on?"

"We need to track down a painter. Alien, female. From the same galaxy as the alien that impersonated Laurent. Apparently there are underground art auctions that only the most rich and influential people get invited to."

"Oh, yeah, those auctions." Lena nodded. "Yeah, I get invited to those, but I've never been to one. Aliens selling their artwork to snobs that can brag about it at the country club."

"Then why is it underground?"

The billionaire laughed. "Most of those creative processes aren't exactly… _legal_. They commit crimes to get their art made. Everyone knows, but nobody talks about it."

"Crimes? Like what?" Maggie asked. Lena raised an eyebrow. "I… think what happened to you and Alex in Montana pretty much illustrates _that_." She tilted her head to look at Maggie, as she watched the detective process. "Did your painter hurt other people?"

"You could say that."

"Well…" Lena got up and opened a few drawers, rummaging through until she finally found what she was looking for. "… I got an invitation about a week ago. Didn't throw it out, though I wanted to. I have more charitable investments than buying blood art."

She handed the envelope over to Maggie. "The date and location are in the letter, but the start time of the auction is always kept quiet. I can't help you with that."

Maggie nodded. "Thank you so much, Lena."

"Be safe, okay?"

Lena watched the detective leave, a concerned frown plastered on her face.

As Maggie left the L-Corp building, the envelope tucked firmly underneath her jacket, she took a moment to breathe. She had barely slept last night in the holding cell, and exhaustion was seeping in her bones. But she couldn't give up. Not now that she was so close to finally getting the alien, and leaving the whole mess behind them.

God _damn_ it, she was going to marry Alex and spend the rest of her life together with her.

It couldn't end here. Not like this.

* * *

"So, it's like Roulette's fight club but with art?" Winn frowned, reading through the letter himself.

Maggie nodded. "It says to meet at the abandoned Diamond theatre, on the evening of the 25th."

"That's tonight..." Winn looked up from the paper. "That's probably why she started to kill again. She needed paintings to sell."

The fact that it made so much sense that _that stupid reason_ was why she murdered the entire Hayes family in National City, made Maggie all the more angry. All that blood spilled, just for money?!

She sighed, taking the letter back. "Well, I have an invitation. Now all we need is a plan."

"I hope there's room for a +1."

Maggie turned around at the sound of the voice, and her heart fluttered when she saw Alex walk into the command center, in her black DEO gear, right leg back in place. Kara walked next to her, seemingly ready to reach for her in case Alex lost her balance. But the agent seemed hyper-focused, and Maggie could barely tell that just hours before, the woman had been crying hysterically in her bath tub, broken by whatever that alien had done to her.

This was agent-Alex. And her face showed nothing but determination.

"You're not up for field duty yet." Kara reminded Alex, as she glanced at Maggie. "I tried to tell her, but…"

Maggie chuckled weakly. Of course there was nothing stopping Alex.

Maggie wasn't even going to try.

The two of them were going to finish it.

"Tonight, at the Diamond theatre. She's going to sell her artwork to the highest bidder, and we're going to be there to shut it down."

Alex smirked. She and Maggie shared a look that said everything. For a second, the both of them could pretend that none of it had happened. That they were just heading to an undercover mission on a regular work day.

"You're going to need a cover story, a disguise, and a back-up plan." Winn summed up. "Oh, and we're going to need to figure out the time, as well. That's not on the invitation anywhere."

"It's not." Maggie smiled. "But I know when it starts."

"How?"

Maggie looked up at the ceiling, silently thanking the man once again for all he'd done. "Ian's final present."

The last code on the paper she'd found on his body.

0015.

 _Nine more hours._


	24. Chapter 24

"But she's going to recognize you the second she sees you…?" Winn frowned. "How are you going to avoid her the entire evening?"

Alex looked up, in full tactical seriousness. "We're going to recon the building, locate her, and get her before the auction even starts. There are a lot of witnesses, people that would certainly be missed if they turned into collateral damage. There will probably be guards, or at least some type of peacekeeping, so we're going to have to go stealthy."

She sighed, tapping her earpiece. "Kara? How are you doing?"

" _I'm seeing a main entrance, two emergency exits on opposite sides of the building, and a stage door in the back."_

Maggie moved forward to draw circles around the doors on the blueprints in front of them. "If we block the stage door with a DEO van, and get eyes on the emergency exits, we're covered."

" _Alex?_ "

"Yeah, I'm here."

"… _There might be other exits. I can see another floor underneath the theatre. It's probably a basement._ "

"Okay, we'll keep that in mind." Alex looked up at Maggie. "I am a bio-engineer that made millions off a patent for nanobots that stimulate brain activity in comatose patients."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "You had all of that ready?"

Alex smiled, and tilted her head. "Well, I'll admit, the results have been optimistic, but we're not _quite_ ready to market. The past weeks have kind of slowed down the timeline."

The detective shook her head, and gazed up at Alex in adoration. She made a mental note to ask Alex more about the miracles she was working every day in that lab of hers, but then realized that now the eyes were on her.

"Right, uh… Well…" She went over her past undercover aliases. "…I'm a PI."

"I like that." Alex nodded. "Names are okay – the DEO hasn't run into problems with any of those artist aliens yet, except for the two we have now. No cameras, just microphones in the dresses and an earpiece. Do you have a tracker?"

Maggie shook her head.

"Okay, we're going to insert one, just to be sure. But _stay close to me_. And keep talking."

In all honesty – she wouldn't _dream_ of leaving Alex alone in there. But she understood where Alex came from. Her tracker had saved the agent's life in the water tank when she'd been abducted.

"I'll put one in your shoes too, just to be sure." Winn added from his desk. Alex seemed satisfied. "You ever been undercover before?"

Maggie chuckled. "More than you, Danvers, I bet. I worked vice for a few months back in Gotham."

Alex seemed equally impressed, but didn't voice it. Instead, she checked her watch. "If we start recon at eleven, that means seven more hours. Let's get that tracker inserted."

Winn winced at the thought, and it didn't go unnoticed. But Maggie had other things on her mind.

* * *

"Alright, so I'm going to make a small incision, about two inches long. I need to insert the tracker a few inches deep, and I might not get it on the first try…"

"Just do it, Alex. It's fine." Maggie smiled weakly. She didn't need the cautiousness her girlfriend was employing. She'd been cut wide open before on different occasions – it was the last thing she was worried about.

Alex applied a local anesthetic, and touched around her thigh until Maggie signaled that it had become numb. She cleared her throat to break the silence between them. "So, uh… Vice?"

Maggie chuckled. "It was a long time ago."

"Couldn't have been more than a few years."

"Well, a lot has happened since then. And I was moved to National City a few months after I started."

"Why? Moving along with a job?" Alex guessed. If people were smart enough to move their business to another city, it made sense for her to travel along.

She didn't expect Maggie's honest answer.

"… I got pulled out of an active undercover op, actually. Had to relocate to the other side of the country immediately to avoid them catching on to our operation."

"Oh." Alex frowned, as she started making the incision. "Well… Y-you're okay, now, right?"

Maggie sighed as she watched Alex cut through her skin. "They never caught up to me. They assume that I got killed somewhere by police. In any case, they were human. It was just a stupid drug trafficking gang. Nothing remotely close to the things we handle now."

As Alex reached for the tracker on the tray next to her, a realization dawned on her. "Is that why you don't like therapy?"

She felt Maggie stiffen underneath her, and realized that she'd made a mistake in handling it so bluntly. "I-I mean…"

"N-no. I… I owe you the truth anyway. Just in case tonight goes bad." Maggie chuckled nervously, but Alex didn't join in. Instead, the detective heaved a deep breath. "I uh… I got pulled out of the op because the gang's leader had discovered that we were running surveillance, and he managed to abduct one of the analysts working alongside me. At that point, they didn't know anything about me or who I was, so I was safe. But they… Alex, they beat the _shit_ out of him. Tortured him, made him _beg_ for them to kill him. And…" She looked away. Alex had put the tracker in, but had stopped reaching for her suture kit. Instead, she watched as the detective tried to keep the tears at bay.

"Maggie…"

But the other woman shook her head and continued. "…They expected me to… _participate_. Because I was supposed to hate cops… And so, I did." She pressed her lips together. "… I beat him. Kicked him, punched him. Hit him with brass knuckles, I'm pretty sure I actually _cracked his skull_ at some point."

Alex was stunned into silence.

Maggie sighed. "After they presented the body on a silver platter to the police, my handler pulled me out immediately. They faked me dying at the hands of the police, and relocated me to National City."

"That's… _horrible_." Was all Alex could say. Her stomach had dropped, and she felt ready to throw up at the raw _pain_ and regret in Maggie's eyes.

"They tried to put me in therapy. But all it did was make me angry. I wanted to _kill_ him for acting like he understood what I did. It wasn't _me_. It was the person I was _pretending_ to be. It was kill or be killed. And he kept on telling me that my feelings were 'valid' and that I 'deserved' my own forgiveness, no, _fuck that_." She reached sideways and threw the tray that the tracker had been resting on against the wall of the med bay.

Alex winced at the clattering of the tray, and took a step back, waiting for Maggie to finish raging. She knew that what she needed was space to tell the story. So she was going to give it to her.

"I don't deserve forgiveness. I have to live with what I did." Maggie whispered, staring at the upside down tray on the ground. "And that alien, that _bitch_ that killed an entire family and murders innocent people? She's going to have to live with it too. And if she doesn't – I'll put a bullet in her skull."

When all that was left was Maggie's heavy breathing from the outburst, Alex kissed her temple, and sutured the wound on her thigh, before covering it with a bandage.

* * *

A few hours later, the both of them stood in the command center for a final briefing. Maggie was wearing an elegant black dress with red lipstick, completing the look of a charming PI. Alex had a pantsuit on that covered the prosthetic well in case anything happened to it.

J'onn, Winn and Kara stood around the table, as well as a few other operatives that would assist.

"We don't have eyes on the inside. So we're relying on the both of you to relay everything through the audio feed. We're recording everything for evidence, so we'll be listening in, but I want a verbal check-in every five to ten minutes." J'onn had his arms crossed behind his back. "We have one agent watching each emergency exit with a sniper rifle, but we need confirmation before taking the shot."

Alex took over effortlessly. "Once inside, we'll recon. See where the artists are, see who the attendees are. Once we can locate the Ragh'tah, we'll lure it into the backstage to overpower it."

"How?" Kara frowned.

"We have a few ideas." Alex replied. "But it'll all depend on the situation. As far as the rest goes – you stay in the vicinity of the building and listen in. _Don't_ come in until something goes absolutely wrong. We want to keep this as quiet as possible, so we don't spook the clients."

Her watch beeped. She looked up. "It's ten. We should head out."

The other agents walked out, followed by J'onn. Winn grabbed his tablet and earpiece, and ran after them. Kara stayed behind, frowning at the pair. "I… I really don't like this."

"Undercover ops are meant to be quiet, Kara." Maggie sighed.

The irony of the statement didn't go lost on Alex.

"You're supposed to get information. If the DEO comes in, guns blazing, then the entirety of National City's finest rich people lose their prime entertainment, and bragging rights."

"I could go undercover… People don't know my secret identity…" Kara pleaded, but neither of the women was having it. Kara sighed, but finally gave in. "Fine. But I can be there in less than five seconds if anything goes wrong. And I won't hesitate."

As dramatic as that would be for the mission, Alex still smiled at the sentiment.

Maggie, on the other hand, stayed awfully quiet.

* * *

The invitation tucked nicely in her clutch, Alex had to fight off the insecurities that were creeping into her mind. Before they went in, she had to be sure that Maggie was one hundred percent alright.

So, a few buildings before the theatre, she raised a hand to slow Maggie down, and looked her in the eyes. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Maggie frowned, already moving again. But Alex reached for her hand and held it in hers. "I _love_ you, Mags. And I'm… You didn't have to tell me about what happened. But you did. And I just need to know that you're okay."

"This is nothing like that op. I'm fine."

Alex hesitated. She could see the wheels turning behind Maggie's eyes – _knew_ that her girlfriend's mind was conjuring up scenarios where she'd be forced to hurt Alex against her will in order to maintain her cover. But none of that would happen.

Maggie seemed to understand what Alex was trying to imply. It didn't help her nerves, but it did make her squeeze her hand. "I'm good, Alex. Let's finish this. Together."

Alex smiled, raising her hand to put it on Maggie's cheek, and leaning in to kiss her gently. "Whatever happens, okay?"

Maggie nodded. "Whatever happens."

After that, Alex linked their hands back together, and they walked to the entrance of the theater.

Alex handed a man dressed in a tuxedo the invitation from her clutch, as the man read through it and held it up against the light. "Name?"

"Alexandra and Margaret Danvers."

Maggie felt a twinge in her chest at hearing the name.

The man wrote something down on a list lying on a nearby podium, and nodded. "Enjoy your evening, Mrs. and Mrs. Danvers."

Maggie felt the hand around her arm tighten as they walked into the foyer.

 _This was it._


	25. Chapter 25

The foyer of the theatre was filled with low chatter, laughs and fancy people. Everywhere she looked, Maggie could see jewelry, tuxedos and gold. It was safe to say that the net worth of everybody in the room combined was more than the rest of National City would ever earn.

"Let's register." Alex whispered to her. Maggie gave a slight nod, as she linked her arm with Alex's once again, and they walked over to the desk. A woman in a black dress nodded at them politely. "Good evening."

"Hello." Alex smiled. "It's our first time."

"Please fill out this form with your personal information, and I'll get you a bidder card." The woman pushed a sheet of paper towards them on the desk.

Alex started filling out the information. Maggie, over her shoulder, could see that she was filling in the location of a DEO safehouse. Quick thinking; she appreciated it.

She placed a kiss on Alex's cheek. "Babe, I'm going to go see if I can get us a glass of champagne."

She waited for Alex's nod of approval, before turning around. Just before the entrance to the foyer, she stopped. "Sawyer, checking in. We're in the foyer, no visual yet."

" _Maggie, there's a lot of static on your microphone feeds. There has to be a jammer installed somewhere to block signals, probably to prevent anyone from blabbing about the location or the event… We can't hear anything."_

 _Shit._ "We'll try to locate the jammer, but it'll have to wait. We have to find the alien first."

After that, she walked inside and looked around. She spotted CEO's, celebrities, politicians… It seemed like everyone that had money was in on this. Art made from suffering.

 _The latest trend of the 1%,_ Maggie huffed to herself.

A waiter passed by quickly with a tray of champagne, and Maggie smiled politely as she took two glasses.

One last sweep around the room showed that the alien wasn't present, so she went back to Alex. Her girlfriend had just finished filling out the form, and got a white card in return with a big number on it.

 _270._

Maggie stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the number. Her _badge_ number. The number had been on the note on Ian's body, along with the other clues.

Was it really just a coincidence? Or… Was something much bigger going on here?

She didn't like it one bit.

Alex didn't seem to notice her distress, as she turned around and smiled. "All set, babe. Let's go!"

Maggie could only nod as she followed Alex into the foyer, handing her the glass.

According to a list on the wall, the Ragh'tah's work wasn't the only work auctioned. There were about four artists that evening. But Alex vaguely recognized the name ' _The Other Half'_ , so that had to be theirs. And the preview of that collection was in a ballroom upstairs.

Alex nudged Maggie, and leaned closer to her. "Ballroom on the second floor. That's where we'll find her."

Of course she'd be next to her work, explaining it to potential buyers instead of mingling here.

Maggie nodded. "How are we going to play it?"

"The second we walk into that ballroom, she'll know we're onto her. So let's go to the second floor, hang around there for a bit, see who comes in and out, and catch her on her way downstairs."

For lack of a better plan, Maggie nodded. The stun gun in her clutch wouldn't do much against a spray of acid of toxin, and Alex's alien gun in a holster hidden at her thigh was only to be pulled out in case of an absolute emergency. They were going for stealthy, but Maggie's gut told her that wouldn't work. The 270 was still spooking her.

"Babe, did you take that number?" Maggie asked as they moved towards the stairs, hands linked together. Alex took a sip of her champagne, and frowned. "Woah… that is expensive stuff… And no, she just gave it to me. Why?"

"Nothing. Just curious."

Alex let it slide. On their way up, they encountered a few more faces that they recognized. But thank God there wasn't anybody around that they were actually acquainted with.

On the first floor, they were stopped by an old man holding a glass of whiskey and eyeing them both. "Well, look at you beautiful ladies!"

Alex and Maggie shared look – neither of them recognized the man from somewhere. But he didn't seem to mind. "You look _ravishing_!"

He reached for Maggie's hand and kissed the back of it a few times. The detective frowned, but chuckled in amusement. "Thank you, sir…?"

"Oh! Robert Baker, darling. And you are...?"

Maggie glanced at Alex to meet her eyes. Robert Baker – a famous arthouse director. Lena had dragged the both of them into her home theatre one night to watch some of his films. She hadn't been a huge fan, but she'd appreciated the art in his work.

"Maggie Danvers, private investigator." Maggie attempted to put on a sultry voice, keeping the mystique of the whole P.I. thing going. The man widened his eyes. "A private detective?! Darling, you _have_ to come with me! There are things I need to talk about!"

Maggie frowned. " _Actually_ , sir…" She considered her options quickly. She didn't have fake business cards, she couldn't write down her phone number for the man to call her later…

Before she could make up another excuse, the man had already pulled her a few steps forward with a surprisingly strong grip for a man his age. "I'm sure your _friend_ wouldn't mind if I borrowed you for a few minutes?"

Maggie threw a look over her shoulder, and mouthed a _'go'_ to Alex. The agent was less than thrilled, and wouldn't give her up without a fight. "Mister Baker, if you wouldn't mind, we've had a long day and we just want to go check out some of the artwork together."

"Have you seen the paintings?" Robert's eyes lit up. "In the ballroom? Absolutely gorgeous. Raw, human, fragile… so very animalistic."

"No, we _haven't_." Alex snapped. "We were just about to go up and _see_ them. Maggie, dear, you can call him tomorrow."

"At least let me join you. I have two of miss Hayes' works hanging in my living room at home from an earlier collection. They're _sublime_."

Robert didn't leave room for an argument as he walked up the stairs. Maggie stayed close to Alex, leaning in to whisper. "We need a distraction."

"If he can confirm she's inside without us walking in…" Alex whispered back, not liking the situation at all.

The man lead the way towards the ballroom, and entered through the door with a wide smile and a loud "Jade, _darling_!"

Alex pulled Maggie into a nearby deserted hallway. Surely, the area would be off-limits, and if there were guards patrolling, they were busted. But for now, they turned the corner to be out of sight.

Alex tapped her earpiece. "Danvers checking in. Target is in the ballroom on the second floor. No visual confirmation. We cannot engage."

"If he blabs about us, we're screwed, Alex." Maggie bit her lip. "And _our paintings_ are probably hanging up there – he'll recognize us! Fuck!"

"Easy." Alex put both hands on her shoulders. "We'll find a way."

She seemed to think about it for a few seconds. "We need to get in the theatre."

"What?!" Maggie frowned.

"… There are people walking in and out of that ballroom, we'll never have her alone. But right before the auction starts, she'll probably walk down from here to a backstage area to get on the stage, right?" Alex sighed. "If we can grab her then, nobody will see. Two against one, we drag her into the van outside, and done."

Maggie looked down at her watch. "The action starts in twenty minutes."

Alex nodded slowly, before speaking into her earpiece again. "Agent Danvers checking in, expected extraction time twenty-five minutes. Alpha-one, be advised. We are heading your way."

" _Al…-ge… Si-…Lo…_." Came Winn's voice on the other side, over a loud bout of static. Both of them winced at the loud white noise in their ears.

"No coms." Alex grunted. "Must be that jammer."

Maggie threw Alex an uncomfortable look, as a voice in the back of her head told her that things were about to go very, _very_ wrong.

* * *

A few minutes later, the pair looked up at a bell ringing through the building. Probably an indication that the auction was about to start.

Maggie threw a careful look around the corner, and saw that the last people were trickling out of the ballroom. The alien was probably alone now.

She signaled at Alex that the coast was clear, before moving in.

But two steps in, she froze at the sight of a man appearing into the hallway and looking around quickly, before heading into the ballroom.

Maggie hadn't imagined the gun in a holster on his belt.

" _Shit_ …" She cursed, as she moved forward.

"Maggie?!" Came Alex's hushed but confused voice behind her. It was too complicated to explain, but she needed to get in closer – to see what the man was up to.

She stopped next to the door to the ballroom, and listened intensely.

"… _Not much time left._ " It was the male voice.

A weak chuckle, as a female voice replied. " _You should have thought of that before you got yourself in this mess._ "

" _She's onto us_. _She found Jade's body. You shouldn't have killed her._ "

" _We both know she was dead the second she started resisting, Rick._ "

Maggie's stomach dropped. _Rick…_

It couldn't be…

"… _Yeah, well, there's nothing I can do. She knows you did it, she's probably on her way here to kill you."_

" _Oh, don't worry, Rick."_ The alien chuckled, and a shiver ran up Maggie's spine. _"… I'm pretty sure Sawyer won't be stupid enough to come after me alone. And if she is, well… that just makes it easier for you."_

" _I told you, I don't want her hurt. She's just onto us. I can't have her sniffing around in that cold case any longer."_

" _Well, then, do something, Rick! God, for a police chief you've got zero balls. You've had me doing all of your dirty work, it's time to take it into your own hands. I need to go downstairs. If you happen to see Sawyer or that half-legged girlfriend of hers, send them my regards."_

Maggie had to dive behind a nearby pillar, and was just in time to hear the alien walk towards the stairs. From the other side of the hallway, she saw Alex's angry glare and realized that the agent had absolutely no idea what had just happened. And now, the alien was getting away.

But not for long.

Maggie motioned for Alex to come closer, as she positioned herself next to the doorway again. The second she heard footsteps heading into her direction from inside, she raised the stun gun.

The man was defenseless, as he thrashed about, before dropping to the ground.

Maggie didn't hesitate in grabbing him by the collar, and dragging him back into the ballroom.

Alex shut the door behind her, as she drew her own gun and pointed it at him.

Maggie chuckled dryly as she kicked the man over, to finally reveal his face.

 _God_ , she hadn't seen it coming. And the betrayal cut deep.

"Rick Cooper." She sneered. "You are under arrest for the murders of Brittany Armstrong, Caroline Woodson, Ella Sands and Florence Bates, _sir_."

"Sawyer." He grunted. "Should've known you'd be here already. You're always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"In this case – right in your personal business. Where it should have been all this time, apparently." She scoffed. "You have thirty seconds to explain why you were helping that alien murder those women."

The Lieutenant glared up at her. "Look around you, Sawyer."

Maggie looked up, seeing the paintings surrounding her. The four missing women, in different states of distress. Another couple of people that she didn't recognize. But she and Alex were nowhere to be seen.

"This art makes _millions_ , internationally. I get my cut, nobody asks questions. Just _you_."

But she wasn't about to let herself get played. " _Why_ , Rick?! Why would you hurt those innocent people?!"

"They were not _innocent_!" Rick yelled back. "A prostitute that gave STD's to every one of her clients! A nurse that killed her patients! A lesbian that cheated on her wife with her boss! I _know_ , Sawyer! Those women didn't deserve happiness, they deserved the pain they were causing others!"

The explanation took her off-guard. Did Rick really think he was some type of angel of death?!

 _No_ … She thought, remembering what she'd learned just a few days ago. _The alien was probably keeping him sedated with her toxin. Making him do whatever she said. She was using him._

With all the alien drugs he was buying from her Scarlet identity, he was probably addicted to the taste.

"Alex, you need to get out of here, _now_ , so we can catch that alien while she's still here."

"What?!" Came Alex's indignant reply from the door. "You're letting him walk away?!"

Maggie turned around to face her. "No. Alex, this isn't about him. It's about _her_ , and she's getting away. Go. I'll stay here with him _._ "

Alex opened her mouth to argue, but she saw the determination in Maggie's eyes. _I'm right behind you._

It was a fucking two-man operation, and Alex refused to leave Maggie there by herself.

But they both knew what the other option was.

Shooting a bullet through Rick Cooper's brain.

Neither of them was willing to take that shot.

Instead, Alex gave a quick nod, and ran off, out of the ballroom with a raised gun.

"You've always been an overachiever." Cooper grunted from his spot on the floor.

"Shut _up_." Maggie hissed through her teeth.

"You deserve the best. If only you'd kept your nose out of that case. I wouldn't have to have done this."

"Rick, you're talking nonsense. She's fucking _using_ you with that poison of hers."

"You _killed_ that analyst back in Gotham."

Maggie froze upon hearing the words. Cooper smirked. "Yeah. I read the file. You _murdered_ a cop. A _friend_. That makes you even lower than those other women."

"I did what I _had_ to do to hold my cover, Rick." She shot back. "You would have done the same."

"I guess we'll never know."

Maggie saw red as she touched her earpiece. "Sawyer. We have a hostile down, it's Rick Cooper. Danvers went downstairs in pursuit of the target."

She hoped that someone would at least be able to understand what she was saying. "Repeat – we have one host-…"

She cut herself off when she saw Rick reaching for his gun.

Her eyes widening, she drew her own gun, but realized quickly that it was a lost cause. A stun gun wouldn't win against actual bullets.

Before she knew it, she was flung backwards by the force of something ripping through her torso. Her back hit the wall behind her, as she slid down.

As she started to feel the blood pouring out of her, she saw Rick getting up from the ground.

"Who knew that you turned out to be the murderer after all? That I happened to be here at the right time to hear you _gush_ all about how you killed the Hayes family?! I _had_ to put a bullet in you, for the safety of the public!"

He crouched down in front of her, glaring at her.

"Should have listened, Sawyer. _Should have retired_."

After that, the only sound was his footsteps leaving the room.

Then, complete silence.


	26. Chapter 26

" _Who'll give me five thousand for this beautiful nightstand? Five thousand, anybody? Ma'am, five thousand to you! Do I hear six thousand_?!"

Alex tried to ignore the speakers as she focused on her target. She'd spotted the alien about a floor below her in the stairwell, and was now trailing behind her as she headed into the backstage.

She considered her options. Following their earlier plan would be a hassle if Maggie wasn't there, it really _was_ a two-man operation. But waiting for her and regrouping wouldn't work either.

She considered calling in reinforcements. They could always go nuclear if that's what it took. But stealth was prioritized – those were strict orders from J'onn. The last thing they needed was every single influential person in National City breathing down the DEO's neck for taking away their favorite pastime.

Either she could take out the alien _now_ , while everybody was seated in the theatre, or wait it out for a better moment. But that could take hours.

 _Now_. She had to go now.

She shadowed the ignorant alien as she watched her toss her hair back and walk into a hallway that undoubtedly lead to the stage area…

… Guarded by two bodyguards. Of course.

The alien smiled at them and got waved through immediately. Alex barely had anything on her; there was a possibility that they would be searched upon entering, so bringing grenades and guns wasn't part of the plan.

But she _did_ remember Kara hiding some extra equipment. According to the blueprints, the top floor of the theatre had a bathroom that wouldn't be frequented by guests, and Kara had left a duffle bag with some stun grenades and weapons.

Getting it would definitely cause her to lose her target. But upon checking her watch, she realized that time was running short anyway. The auction was already happening, and it was close to midnight.

Regroup with Maggie in the ballroom, get the weapons from the top floor, and improvise.

And only use the nuclear option when it was truly an emergency. She _had_ to stick to her orders.

Alex stopped her pursuit, cursing herself. The one thing that they shouldn't have done, was let Jade out of their sight. But with Maggie's boss being in on it, that made things all the more complicated. She understood why Maggie was shocked and thrown off at the confession. But letting the man walk meant more danger.

They'd made the right call.

She pressed her earpiece. "Maggie? Can you hear me?"

She waited for a few seconds, until the answer came. "I'm here."

It sounded _off_ , but Alex couldn't put her finger on it. She continued nonetheless. "Mags, I lost her backstage, there's security. We'll have to knock them out with the grenades Kara put upstairs."

"You go… _arrange that_."

The statement made Alex frown. "Everything okay over there?"

"Peachy." Maggie grunted. "Just… Get her, Danvers."

"I can't do it without you. Can't you let Kara fly in to take Cooper off your hands? So we can regroup? Look, I'll come to the ballroom and we can-…"

"No… _no._ " She heard Maggie protest. "… You need to stay on her."

"Mags…" Alex started, completely confused at the weird answers her girlfriend was giving her. "Mags, if you're in trouble, can you say so?!"

"Everything's _fine_ , Danvers. You can't let that alien get away. If she walks out of here… It's over."

Alex made a mental note to check up on Maggie later, as her worries skyrocketed with her cryptic behavior, but she knew that the mission was more important. Maggie was right; if the Ragh'tah walked out with an entire collection sold, they either wouldn't find her anywhere because she'd be long gone, or she'd come back to kill them both.

Why couldn't Maggie just let Kara fly in and take Cooper?

Her mind argued back and forth. Maybe Cooper knew about Kara and had brought kryptonite. Maybe he threatened to kill her, or Alex, and Maggie got spooked. Or maybe he…

 _No_. Alex shook her head. Maggie was _fine_. She was talking, alert… And Alex needed to focus on the task at hand.

The upper floor bathroom. Retrieve the stun grenades, get into the backstage, and take out the Ragh'tah. Dead or alive.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be taking a short 15-minute break before the next collection is presented!"_ She heard over the speakers.

 _Shit_. Every attendee would be rushing to the bathrooms or bar. She needed to act fast.

She raced up the stairs, all the way to the top floor, and checked the hallway in front of her. It looked deserted.

Continuously scanning her surroundings, Alex walked over to the bathroom door with a raised gun. But thankfully, she was completely alone. She didn't waste any time in grabbing the tactical bag from a space behind a loose air vent duct, and zipping it open.

The first thing inside was her tactical gear. She considered putting it on for a brief moment, before realizing that it made no sense. As uncomfortable as it was doing a mission in her pantsuit, it was still an undercover op. She grabbed a few stun grenades and zipped the bag up again. She didn't have the space to hide an assault rifle, nor any of the other things inside.

Before she could tuck it back into the air vent, she froze.

Behind her, the door to the bathroom opened.

She immediately reached for her gun again, but it was too late.

"You must be Alex Danvers."

Alex lowered her hands slowly, looking the slender woman in the eyes. She didn't recognize her, but she obviously knew who Alex was.

"I'm glad you're here. I was starting to fear I'd have to do it all by myself."

"Who are you?" Alex asked, her hand moving towards one of the stun grenades in a hidden compartment of her pantsuit. She didn't like this situation one bit.

The woman smirked, and took a step in her direction. Alex could now see that she was wearing an elegant dress, that looked a little… _padded_.

Then, she realized that she'd seen the dress before. A prototype of bulletproof clothing that _she herself_ had worked on a few months ago.

"Where did you get that?!" Alex hissed, now drawing her gun instantly and pointing it at the woman's head.

The blonde laughed, and shook her head. "You like the dress? I know that you helped make it. I should thank Milo for letting me borrow it."

" _Who_. Are you?!" Alex repeated, in a tone that told the woman that she wasn't going to ask again.

She sighed, leaning against the doorway and looking Alex in the eyes. "Violet Hayes. DEO operative, clearance level B. I was stationed in Metropolis, before I was asked to go on a mission in Australia. I came back when my entire family was murdered, and now I'm kind of doing the whole _vengeance act_ thing. I'm sure you can empathize."

Alex's eyebrows had shot up in her hairline at the woman's confession. Maggie had vaguely told her about the lawyer that managed to get her out of jail being Ian's daughter. But _this_ …

"If you're a DEO agent, then why did you pretend to be her lawyer?"

Alex was on edge. This woman could easily be the Ragh'tah taking on another identity. She needed proof.

Violet smirked. "I knew that waving my DEO badge around wouldn't get her anywhere. The NCPD isn't exactly on great terms with the DEO now that you threw your weight around with Holmes. Anyway, J'onn asked me to come and serve as your back-up. It was a last-minute decision, so I'm sorry you weren't in on it."

Alex opened her mouth to ask more questions, but then realized the task at hand. She was still on a mission. "Maggie's on the second floor, keeping Cooper detained. He's confessed everything to us – he helped murder those women. The alien is backstage, getting ready for her auction. Here." Alex shoved two stun grenades in her hands, which she tucked away immediately. "Do you have a gun?"

"Just my pistol. Couldn't bring anything else."

Alex nodded. "We need to get the alien before it can get up the stage or we're fucked. And we need to go help Maggie. She only has a stun gun, I assume she knocked him out, but we should check."

"Okay." Violet thought. "I met a Ragh'tah one of my first weeks stationed in Australia. A sculptor. Accidentally dropped one of his sculptures on the ground, he was ready to kill me had we not been in public. They _hate_ when something happens to their artwork. That's why they're so on top of it."

"They'll probably-…" Alex started, but her face paled. "Shit, if they go get the artwork in the ballroom, they'll find Maggie and Cooper! We need to hurry!"

Alex and Violet raced back towards the stairwell, and to the second floor. Upon arriving, Violet pulled Alex back when they saw that the door was closed.

She leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "They could already be in there."

"Then what's your plan?!" Alex whispered back. Violet raised one of the grenades Alex had given her.

"Maggie is in there!"

Violet winced. "Necessary casualty. We need to be sure that we have the upper hand. If we enter and there are people inside, raising alarm, we need the element of surprise."

Her alien gun and Violet's pistol wouldn't do much. She knew that.

She nodded, and stepped back as Violet walked over to the doors, opened the left one slightly, and threw one of the grenades into the room. Quickly, she shut the door again and waited for the small _bang_ on the other side of the door.

Not as loud as a normal flashbang, not too loud to draw attention downstairs, but enough to disorient whoever was inside.

After that, Alex ran up to the door, and they both poured inside with raised guns.

" _Holy shit_." Violet cursed, the second they took in the sight.

The room was deserted, the dozen-or-so paintings on the wall still completely intact.

But a bloodstain with drag marks led their eyes up to the other side of the room, where a semi-conscious, huddled figure was leaning against the wall, slumped forward.

" _No…_ oh God… no…" Alex whispered, as she ran to Maggie's side. The blood on her side was seeping out at an alarming rate, and she could see how pale the detective was.

Violet winced at the thought of hurting Maggie unintentionally, but she ran forward to put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "I'll hold them off if they try to come in, but make it quick, Danvers."

She was convinced that the agent hadn't heard a single thing she said. But she didn't need a reply, as she picked up Maggie's discarded stun gun, closed the door behind her, and waited in the hallway.

"M- _Mags_ …" Alex sobbed, kneeling at her side and putting pressure on the wound immediately with one hand, putting the other underneath her chin to tilt her head up. "Mags, can you hear me?"

A weak, rattling intake of breath made Alex exhale in relief. "Babe…"

"- _Lex_ …" Maggie moaned, her eyes remaining closed. "C- _Cooper_ …"

"He shot you." Alex whispered, more to herself as a confirmation than a question. She scrambled for her earpiece and pressed against it with her free hand, already knowing that it was no use. "Agent Danvers, we need a med-evac in the second floor ballroo-…" She cut herself off when she saw Maggie moving forward, and had to release the earpiece to steady her. "No, stop… stop _moving_."

"V-Violet…" Maggie whispered.

"Yeah." Alex chuckled weakly. "S-she's a DEO agent. J'onn asked her to assist in the op."

Maggie's mouth curled up into a weak smile. "G-good. She's b-badass."

Alex took a shaky breath, as she tried to steady herself. There was still no communicating with the earpieces. A cellphone was out of the question completely. But she needed to get Maggie help, and fast.

"Come on. I'm getting you out of here, but you need to hold on just a _bit_ longer." Alex decided, reaching forward to wrap Maggie's right arm over her shoulder.

The detective moaned, and Alex could practically _feel_ the blood gushing out of her side. "I'm sorry about the flashbang, babe."

A weak laugh was the reply. As Alex pulled her out of the room, she was relatively unsurprised to see an array of unconscious, stunned tuxedo-wearing men on the ground. Violet herself looked a bit roughed up, but was smirking. "Haven't had a chance to practice _that_ in a while. But I think they'll be asking questions in a few seconds, once they fail to show up with the paintings."

"I need to get her out, Hayes." Alex said, seriously. "Can you meet me back downstairs in the foyer? Try and scout ahead, see what the possibilities are for getting backstage. We're running out of time."

"Copy that, Danvers. But I have some unfinished business here first." Violet said, reaching for something in her bra. When she pulled it out, Alex saw that she was holding a pocket knife.

The blonde headed back into the ballroom.

Alex didn't bother to stay for the sounds of ripping canvas.

She had to get Maggie out.

"Hey, you doing okay?"

"Mmhm." Maggie grunted. "I seriously… N-need to marry you. A-as soon as possible."

Alex laughed weakly. "We'll do it as soon as we know you're okay."

"T-taking your word for it… D-Danvers."

"Wouldn't want it any other way."

Alex considered her options quickly. Most of the people downstairs would already be back in the theatre, but there would still be employees running around. But with the scramblers, she couldn't tell the snipers that she was coming out, and they would take a shot at them for sure. And the stage door was completely out of the question.

Front entrance it was. It wasn't the most subtle, but at least it was the least risk of dropping dead within five seconds. And the blood that was beginning to seep through her suit from Maggie's side made her see red.

If she ever saw Cooper again, she'd _kill him._

They made it downstairs without too much trouble, as she forced Maggie to hurry up. "Come on, Mags, I know this hurts but you're almost there… _please_ …"

She knew that Maggie was losing energy. That her fiancée was on the verge of consciousness, and passing out.

They made it to the foyer. The doors to the theatre were wide open, and she could hear that the opening introduction for Jade's artwork had started.

"Come on, come on…" Alex whispered, as she saw the entrance that would lead outside. A few more steps, and Maggie would finally get help. She could brief the DEO on their situation. She could ask for back-up…

She didn't expect the entrance door to be slammed shut.

"No, no, let us through, please, she's _hurt_!" Alex yelled at the woman who was now locking the door. As she turned around, she raised an eyebrow. "What is your number?"

"M-my… _what_?!"

"Your bidder card." The woman said. The cold tone of her voice was absolutely insane, Alex thought. Maggie was clearly _dying_ , and that woman didn't seem to care.

"270." Alex spat. "Now let us through!"

The woman chuckled. "I'm sorry, miss Danvers."

Alex pulled her gun, her blood boiling. "I'm not going to ask you _again_ , open the fucking door!"

"I'm afraid that's not an option."

Before Alex could turn around, she felt a hard impact on the back of her head.

After that, she was out.

* * *

The next thing she was aware of, was a low murmuring. People talking in hushed voices.

She tilted her head and opened her eyes, but found that the darkness didn't go away.

A few more seconds to gain her bearings, and she realized that there was something over her head. Probably a bag.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, my collection today is connected to a very special story._ "

She heard Jade's voice. It sounded like it came from far away, but everything was distorted and blurry.

"… _The reason why I called my collection 'the Other Half', was because I got to be part of a very unique and life-altering experience. I got to see, first hand, what true love can do to a human. How it can break somebody. It's all in the eyes, ladies and gentlemen. And to illustrate, tonight, I have two very special guests. My muses, the subjects of my inspiration!"_

The bag was pulled from over her head. The bright lights shining in her eyes blinded her, as she now heard the chants and shouting of the crowd below her.

 _She was on the stage_.

In front of her, slumped forward in a chair, was Maggie. She'd obviously gone through the same process of being taken. But she looked like she was ready to pass out.

" _And tonight, ladies and gentlemen, aside from the beautiful collection these two have made possible, while my other work is being auctioned, I'll be painting a new set, right in front of your very eyes!"_

The crowd went absolutely insane. Yelling, cheering and clapping. Alex felt sick to her stomach.

" _Now, don't worry, no humans were harmed here! We just brought them up on stage. But it looks like this one here managed to get herself into a bit of trouble before the big show._ " Alex watched Jade pull Maggie's chin up to face her.

"G-go to h-hell." Maggie grunted.

Alex wanted desperately to do something. But she realized that they'd taken her gun away during her unconsciousness. She was defenseless, completely at the mercy of the alien in front of them. But this time it wasn't just the two of them. It was an entire room full of people, ready to bid on their agony.

"Ten thousand!" Somebody shouted from the audience. _They were already bidding._

Alex clenched her eyes shut, before looking up at Maggie. "Mags, we're going to be okay. We're going to get out of this…"

The detective didn't respond. Alex didn't know if it was blood loss or just exhaustion, but she gave up on trying to get Maggie to talk to her quickly.

Another scan of the room, wincing against the bright lights, made her notice a small figure up on the balcony. All the attendees were downstairs on the seats, but the blonde figure was unmistakably out of place, as she glanced down at the room below her.

Before looking right at Alex, and raising a finger to her lips with a smile.

A small smirk fought its way up to Alex's face.

 _She wasn't going to go down without a fight._


	27. Chapter 27

The broad smile was stuck to the Ragh'tah's face, as she turned back to face her audience, moving to the easel on the front of the stage. The auctioneer had moved back to his lectern and moved towards his microphone.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, while it's happening! The first pieces of artwork from miss Hayes' collection, the-…"_

Alex watched a woman run up the stage and whisper something in the auctioneer's ear. The man frowned, and whispered something back while covering the microphone, causing the crowd to murmur weakly.

" _Uh… Ladies and gentlemen! Let's start off with… uh…"_ The man hesitated. The alien noticed his stumbling, and looked confused, getting up from the small stool she was sat on. "What's going on?"

The man moved away from his lectern, and smiled at the audience, before moving towards the alien, whispering lowly so that the crowd wouldn't understand. "The paintings, ma'am. They're all damaged."

" _Damaged_?!" She hissed back. "What do you _mean_ , damaged?!"

"Somebody must have had a knife, I… They're all ripped."

A weak smirk appeared on Alex's face. _Thanks, Violet._

It took three seconds for the alien to shriek in rage; the sound making a wince go through the entire theatre.

She got up, and ran towards Alex, pulling her back by the hair. A shocked gasp went through the room, making Alex scoff. _Really. Now they care._

"What did you _do_ , you bitch?!" She yelled. Alex felt the legs of her chair rise up from the stage floor as she was tilted back. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw the auctioneer putting a hand on the alien's shoulder.

But before the man could say anything, the Ragh'tah let go of her abruptly. Her face turned back into the broad smirk it had been earlier. "Of course not… No, it wasn't you. You don't have the balls…"

Alex's stomach turned as she watched her turn around and face a weak and semi-conscious Maggie.

"… Of course it was her."

In that moment, all hell broke loose.

Alex jumped forward to shove herself in the alien's direction, her mind only on Maggie's safety. The alien lunged at Maggie with open mouth, probably to spit her toxin at her to finally end it.

And at the same time, the lights in the theatre went out.

What followed was absolute chaos, as Alex's front found the back of the alien and she tackled her to the ground as best as she could. The screaming of the attendees now running to the exit barely registering, as she was focused on protecting her lover.

" _Alex!_ " She heard a familiar voice, but she couldn't hear where it was coming from over the noise of people running to the exits blindly, the shrieks of rage that the alien was still emitting, and her own heart beating wildly in her chest.

Out of nowhere, a bright flash of light made her eyes burn, as she witnessed two laser-like beams shooting in her direction.

They were bright enough to now see that they were aimed at the alien in front of her. Alex didn't hesitate; she jumped on top of the alien to hold it in place, as she realized that the laser beams were actually the heat vision of Kara, who had finally come to their rescue.

She started punching blindly at the figure underneath her, until she felt the alien go limp. She must have knocked her out. Or maybe she was dead.

She didn't care either way.

The next seconds might as well have been hours, as the darkness made her lose all track of time.

"Everyone is out!" Another voice yelled out. Alex looked up blindly in the dark to where it came from, as she heard footsteps approaching, followed by a loud dragging and scraping sound. _Violet._

Seconds later, the lights were switched back on. Alex closed her eyes instinctively against the brightness, before pushing them open, willing to make sense of the hectic situation.

Kara was standing next to her. Violet was near the edge of the stage, dragging an unconscious Rick Cooper along with her and lowering a set of night vision goggles. Below her was the Ragh'tah, who seemed unconscious. And still slumped forward tied to the seat, was Maggie.

Alex ran towards her immediately, trusting that her sister would take care of the alien, but she was stopped by Kara's hand. "I'll take her to the DEO."

The step away from Maggie she had to take to let her sister pass was the most painful one she'd ever taken; but at least Maggie was awake. Her rattled breathing, and unfocused eyes staring into Alex's comforted the agent, at least slightly.

 _She was going to be fine._

Kara took Maggie in her arms and shot up, leaving Alex alone with Violet, and the two unconscious forms on the floor.

"You alright there, Danvers?" Violet asked, dropping Cooper onto the ground unceremoniously to walk over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Alex could only breathe in relief, as she looked up at the other woman. "Are you staying in National City?"

Violet chuckled weakly, and tilted her head. "Why do you ask?"

"I could use someone who has my back like you do."

The blonde laughed, even as the doors flew open once again, and the other DEO agents poured inside. And for the first time in a _long time_ , Alex felt herself laughing too, reveling in the fact that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Brittany Armstrong. 41-year old nurse.

Caroline Woodson, 22. A stripper at a bar.

Ella Sands, 17. Straight A-student.

Florence Bates, 39. An event manager.

Four murders, in September 2012. Happening on a Friday. Four women left behind in dumpsters, overdosed on an unknown drug.

And what had connected them?

 _Scarlet's drug._

All of the women had approached Scarlet on the day of their murders to buy her drugs. After taking it, they got high, but also completely submissive to the alien's will. So when Rick Cooper approached them later that evening, they went along willingly.

The fifth week, there was no murder. Because the alien had moved away to Europe to escape conviction, after Cooper began to get immune to her toxin and started to ask questions.

When she finally moved back a few months ago, she went through different accomplices. One evening brought her to Maggie Sawyer in the dive bar. She made out with her, fed her the drug, and they kidnapped a young woman together, moving her to an abandoned warehouse where the alien painted her.

But when Ian Hayes picked up the cold case after it was supposed to go away, Rick saw no other option but to threaten him to leave it alone. He contacted Jade when Ian wouldn't listen, and Jade disposed of him. Seeing that her father-in-law had roped Maggie into it, she started looking into her.

With the entire Montana situation happening just a few weeks prior, the alien had realized that it was too dangerous to let Maggie investigate. She pulled Rick into keeping an eye on her, even putting Holmes on the track of investigating Maggie herself as the culprit.

 _At least, that was Rick Cooper's side of the story._

Alex closed her notepad and leaned back, folding her arms. "Is that your final answer?"

"It's the truth." Rick frowned. "She kept me sedated with that _poison_ of hers. I couldn't think for myself, I _had_ to hurt those women. I didn't want to."

"So, the sole reason that those women were murdered was because they bought her drug?" Alex raised an eyebrow. Cooper shrugged. "Look, I don't know her thought process. She probably picked out people that looked nice on her canvas or some creepy shit like that. You should know, if she picked you too."

Alex winced involuntarily, before putting the smile back up. "Right, let's leave it here for now, and get you escorted back to the nice comfort of your cell, mister Cooper."

She nodded at the agents standing near the door, and followed them out of the room.

"Agent Danvers!"

Alex turned around to see Violet, still in the dress, walking over to her. "I just heard back from Supergirl. Maggie's out of surgery. Everything went well, she should be waking up soon."

Alex took a deep breath, and nodded. "That's…"

She couldn't finish the sentiment, because words couldn't describe the feeling of everything finally turning out okay. Violet smirked. "You should go see her. She'll want to wake up with you by her side."

"Where are you headed?" Alex asked, after taking a few steps in the direction of the med bay. Violet turned around. "Talking to J'onn. Seeing if somebody can take over my mission in Australia. I still have some business here, with the funerals…"

Alex nodded slowly, a concerned frown on her face. "Well, if you need help… _anything_. Financially, or just someone to talk to… I'm here for you. And I'm sure Maggie feels the same. And you're totally welcome to stay at ours until you get settled."

"Nah, I couldn't ask that. Especially with everything that happened… I'll be fine, Danvers."

"It's Alex." The agent smiled. "And I meant what I said. I'd love to have you on any mission, with how you handled yourself out there."

"I'll keep it in mind."

Alex watched as the blonde walked off, and finally made her way into the med bay.

The first thing she noticed was Kara, still in her uniform, sitting at Maggie's bedside. The detective looked pale, a nasal cannula still feeding her a steady supply of oxygen. But she was looking at Kara, and Alex heard the sound of her voice.

That voice still managed to make her stomach flutter with butterflies.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Kara looked up and vacated the seat immediately. "I'll come by later, okay?"

"Thank you, Kara." Maggie smiled, her voice raspy yet _gorgeous_ , as Kara crossed her sister and smiled at her. "You alright?"

"I am now." Alex returned the smile, as she was left alone with Maggie and ran up to her side immediately. "Hey, babe…"

"Hey." Maggie laughed weakly, staring up at Alex with adoring eyes.

"It's over." Was all Alex could think of in that moment. She watched Maggie chuckle, and nod.

" _God_ , I was terrified, Maggie." Alex finally confessed, taking Maggie's hand in her own and kissing her forehead. "I thought I lost you."

"I'm still here, Alex." Maggie croaked, pulling her down to kiss her lips properly for the first time in what felt like forever. Alex returned the kiss eagerly, before the two of them pulled away, resting their foreheads together.

"I love you, so much." Alex whispered, feeling tears well up in her eyes at the sheer relief of being together. Maggie nodded, moving her arm up to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. "I love you too, Alex."

As Alex settled on the chair next to her again, and held her hand close to her heart, Maggie looked at her. "Did you… talk to her?"

Alex didn't need another question to know that Maggie was asking about the Ragh'tah.

But she smiled at Maggie and kissed the back of her hand anyway. "No. She was moved over to the secure facility in the desert. Why? Do you… want to…?"

Maggie thought about the question for a few seconds. "I'm… not sure."

"Yeah, me neither." Alex laughed, before shaking her head. "Don't think about it. Let's just focus on getting you better, okay?"

"The bullet stopped at the muscle around the abdomen… Or something like that." Maggie's face scrunched up in thought, as she tried to remember the doctor's explanation. "I got lucky. Just a lot of blood, no organ damage."

Alex nodded. She knew that the sight of Maggie's blood on her hands would haunt her.

 _One more on her list of traumatic experiences._

"Should just take a few weeks to heal, but I'll be fine."

Alex moved forward to kiss Maggie once again. "I'm going to call Kara, and tell her that we're moving the timetable up."

"What timetable?" Maggie asked.

"The wedding. We're getting married the second you're okay, like we said. A month from now, maybe. We can crash some venue, invite our friends, some family, and just… never be apart again."

"You know, that might be one of the most romantic things you've ever said, Danvers."

"That's Mrs. Danvers to you."

Maggie smirked. _Mrs. Danvers._

She liked the way it sounded.

* * *

Weeks later, when the both of them were standing in front of the handful of people that they considered close, Maggie didn't hesitate to say 'I do' at the prospect of spending the rest of her life with Alex by her side as her wife.

And Alex, having lost the bet of who was going to cry first ever since she saw Maggie looking stunning in her dress, had never felt happier in her life than when she returned those two words, and wrapped her arms around Maggie's neck to kiss her.

 **The end.**

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Thank you to all of you for reading, if you've made it to the end of the story. It was a rollercoaster for me too, but I'm so blessed to have you all leaving such wonderful feedback, and putting a smile on my face time and time again. I don't know what the future holds in terms of my Sanvers fanfics, but I'll definitely stick around. I love you guys so much, thank you again!_

 _-S_


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